MI5 chief: GRU aims to wreak havoc in Britain and across Europe

Photo: Ken McCallum

Russian military intelligence is aiming to cause “chaos” in Britain and across Europe, Britain's intelligence chief said on Tuesday, October 8. He also stressed his concerns about the threat from al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, Reuters reports.

Speaking at his annual speech, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum also accused Iran of plotting attacks on Britain.

McCallum said the number of investigations into threats to the country's security had risen by 48% in the past year as Russia and Iran turned to criminals, drug traffickers and associated forces to do their “dirty work”.

Speaking about the threats to the UK, the head of the Security Service explained that since March 2017, MI5 and British police had foiled 43 terror plots at a late stage, sometimes days before they were to carry out mass killings.

The terrorism trend that the intelligence chief said worries him most is the growing threat from al-Qaida, which is seeking to profit from the conflict in the Middle East, and especially the Islamic State, which has renewed efforts to export terrorism. He cited the attack on a Moscow concert hall in March as an example.

So far, however, the conflict in the Middle East has not translated into large-scale militant activity at home, McCallum said.

Of those under investigation for terrorism, 13 percent are under 18, he said.

Much of McCallum's speech focused on threats from Russia and Iran.

Despite the expulsion of more than 750 Russian diplomats from Europe since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the expulsion of the last Russian military intelligence officer from Britain earlier this year, he said it was “stark” how Russian officials were trying to use the forces at their disposal.

“In particular, the GRU has a constant mission to create chaos on the streets of Britain and Europe: we have seen arson, sabotage and much more. Dangerous actions are being carried out with increasing recklessness,” – he said.

He also said that since January 2022, his service and the police had responded to 20 Iranian-backed plots that potentially posed a lethal threat to UK citizens and residents.

“We are constantly seeing plans being prepared (for terrorist attacks) here in the UK at an unprecedented pace and scale,” said Ken McCallum.