It’s no hidden secret that the Islamic State talks openly and frequently about wanting to carry out attacks in the UK. But what are the chances of it actually happening?
Well, this wont come as a surprise either, but British security agencies are pretty scared of an imminent attack carried out by a radicalised small cell – like those who carried out the attacks in Woolwich, Paris, and presumably in Brussels this morning, according to The Guardian.
Last year alone, security agencies were able to foil seven terrorist plots in the UK but many claim this is merely down to luck, and with the UK’s current ‘severe’ threat level – is luck enough to go by?
As reported by The Guardian, Australian counter-terrorist expert, David Kilcullen, argues that there are four potential ways that the UK could be attacked.
The first is through returning jihadists. Those that left the UK for Syria and Iraq before heading back with newly acquired skills. There are about 800 of these currently residing in Britain.
The second involves the tactics used in Egypt by al-Qaeda when they brought down a Russian jet by a bomb that had been smuggled on-board, however Kilcullen argues that this sort of attack would be hard to execute in the UK.
The third and fourth are more worrying and probable.
The third involves so called ‘lone wolf’ attacks, those carried out by solo extremists, whereas the fourth involves those conducted by small radical cells, such as the attacks seen today in Brussels, and in November in Paris.
While spreading this type of fear of another attack is precisely what ISIS wants, there’s still no denying that this is a very scary time for humanity.
