Five terror attacks thwarted in last few weeks, says Met police chief
Police have thwarted five terror attacks in the last few weeks including some which were “very close” to being carried out, Britain’s most senior police officer has said.
This year alone, the UK has been targeted by four terror attacks – three of which happened in London in busy and popular areas – which killed and injured scores of people.
Speaking on Nick Ferrari’s show on LBC yesterday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said a “very large number of plots” had been foiled over the last few years. Pressed on exactly how many attacks had been thwarted, she said that in “just the last few weeks”, five have been averted.
“Overall I think it is well into the teens in the last couple of years, where we know people were intent on attacking and that has been stopped,” she said.
“In addition, hundreds of arrests of people who are radicalised, and are either spreading hatred or supporting terrorism, or want to carry out a terrorist attack. We have had a huge number of successful operations, together with the intelligence agencies and we work very closely with them and with colleagues overseas.”
Quizzed on how far-progressed the thwarted attacks were, Ms Dick suggested some of them were within minutes of being executed by terrorists.
“Some of them were very close, we would say, to an attack,” she said.
When asked if they were “within minutes” of being carried out, Ms Dick replied: “Yes.”
Vehicle-based terror attacks have blighted London since March – resulting in large concrete blocks, acting as pedestrian-protecting barricades, being placed on several bridges. When quizzed on whether the safety features will remain permanently, Ms Dick said “they may well be, but not in that form”.