Frontline on terror has moved, law chief declares

THE FRONTLINE in the war on terror has “irretrievably altered”, the Attorney General will say tonight as he sets out the legal basis for British military strikes against targets overseas for the first time.

Jeremy Wright QC will stress that it is vital for the UK to have the right to deploy lethal force in self-defence, arguing that the law must keep up with “changing times”.

He will say today that the frontline has altered with technology used to evade law enforcement and inspire attacks around the world that previously would have taken months of planning.

The news comes as the United States authorities have imposed sanctions on Briton Alexanda Kotey after officially naming him as a member of the Islamic State terror cell nicknamed The Beatles. The US State Department said Kotey, 33, from London, is one of four members of a group that beheaded around two dozen hostages, including American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

Mr Wright will today use a speech in London to provide an unprecedented insight into the considerations that must be weighed up before action is taken against extremists abroad.

Scrutiny of the legal basis for such operations intensified in September 2015 when then Prime Minister David Cameron revealed that an RAF drone had killed two British jihadists in Syria the month before.

Reyaad Khan, 21, from Cardiff, was the target of the attack launched near the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, while a second UK national, Ruhul Amin, also died.

Last year MPs and peers called for Ministers to urgently clarify the legal basis for launching drone strokes against IS targets.

Mr Wright will say tonight: “The UK is a world leader in promoting, defending and shaping international law – and for the first time we are setting out how we determine whether an attack is imminent.

“We are a long way from being able to see troops massing on the horizon. The frontline has irretrievably altered. Technology has made it easier for terrorists to carry out attacks. The law has to keep up with the changing times.”