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MI5 spy chief says Russia and Iran are behind a 'staggering' rise in deadly plots

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MI5 spy chief says Russia and Iran are behind a 'staggering' rise in deadly plots
News

News

MI5 spy chief says Russia and Iran are behind a 'staggering' rise in deadly plots

2024-10-09 05:28 Last Updated At:05:30

LONDON (AP) — Britain is facing a “staggering rise” in attempts at assassination, sabotage and other crimes on U.K. soil by Russia and Iran, as the two states recruit criminals to “do their dirty work,” the head of Britain's domestic intelligence agency said Tuesday.

MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said his agents and police have tackled 20 “potentially lethal” plots backed by Iran since 2022 and warned that it could expand its targets in the United Kingdom if conflicts in the Middle East deepen.

So far, the threats have been aimed at Iranians abroad who oppose the country's authorities. But McCallum said there is the risk “of an increase in — or broadening of — Iranian state aggression in the U.K.” if the Middle East crisis escalates with Israel launching a major attack in response to Iran’s recent missile barrage.

In a rare public speech setting out the major threats to the U.K. from both states and militant groups, McCallum argued that hostile states, radicalized individuals and a revived Islamic State group have combined to create “the most complex and interconnected threat environment we’ve ever seen.”

McCallum said there also is a risk that Israel’s conflicts with Iran-backed groups — the militant Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as the Houthi rebels in Yemen — could trigger attacks in the U.K., though so far the crisis has not translated “at scale into terrorist violence” in Britain.

The number of state-threat investigations undertaken by MI5 has risen by 48% in the past year, with Iran, Russia and China the main perpetrators, McCallum told journalists at the U.K.’s counterterrorism command center in London.

McCallum said that since the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in Iranian police custody in September 2022 after being detained for allegedly violating the Islamic republic’s mandatory headscarf law, “we’ve seen plot after plot here in the U.K., at an unprecedented pace and scale.”

He said MI5 and the police have responded to 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots since January 2022, up by a third from the figure of 15 the government gave at the end of January.

McCallum said Russia’s military intelligence agency was trying to use “arson, sabotage and more” to create “mayhem” on the streets of Britain and other European countries.

Both Russia and Iran often turn to criminals, “from international drug traffickers to low-level crooks,” to carry out their illegal deeds, he said.

Several alleged state-backed plots have led to criminal charges. In December, a Chechen man was jailed for allegedly carrying out reconnaissance on the offices of a dissident Iranian broadcaster in London. Separately, several suspects are awaiting trial in London over an alleged Russia-linked plan to attack Ukrainian-owned businesses.

Britain is not alone in pointing a finger at Moscow and Tehran. Germany has arrested several people for allegedly spying or planning attacks on behalf of Russia. In May, Sweden’s domestic security agency accused Iran of using criminal networks to target Israeli or Jewish interests in the Scandinavian country.

Past speeches by McCallum and other U.K. intelligence chiefs have emphasized China's increasingly assertive behavior, which in 2022 McCallum called Britain’s greatest "strategic challenge.” On Tuesday, McCallum stressed the importance of the U.K.-China economic relationship but said there were “risks to be managed.”

The U.K.’s official terror threat level stands at “substantial,” the middle of a five-point scale, meaning an attack is likely, and McCallum said that since 2017, MI5 and the police have disrupted 43 late-stage plots, saving “numerous lives.”

While about three-quarters of the plots stem from Islamic extremist ideology and a quarter from the extreme right, he said those labels “don’t fully reflect the dizzying range of beliefs and ideologies we see,” drawn from a soup of “online hatred, conspiracy theories and disinformation." Young people are increasingly involved, he said, with 13% of the subjects of MI5 terror investigations under the age of 18.

He also said there were worrying signs that the Islamic State group is attempting a comeback, despite the collapse of its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria several years ago.

McCallum said that “after a few years of being pinned well back, they’ve resumed efforts to export terrorism," and cited a March attack that killed more than 140 people at a Moscow concert hall and was claimed by IS, as “a brutal demonstration of its capability.”

MI5 has faced criticism for its failure to stop deadly attacks, including a 2017 suicide bombing that killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

“The first 20 years of my career here were crammed full of terrorist threats,” McCallum said. “We now face those alongside state-backed assassination and sabotage plots, against the backdrop of a major European land war.”

MI5, he said, “has one hell of a job on its hands.”

Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this story.

Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, delivers the annual Director General's speech at Counter Terrorism Operations Centre in west London, Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, delivers the annual Director General's speech at Counter Terrorism Operations Centre in west London, Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, delivers the annual Director General's speech at Counter Terrorism Operations Centre in west London, Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, delivers the annual Director General's speech at Counter Terrorism Operations Centre in west London, Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, delivers the annual Director General's speech at Counter Terrorism Operations Centre in west London, Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, delivers the annual Director General's speech at Counter Terrorism Operations Centre in west London, Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

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Thunder's Holmgren to miss at least 8 weeks with a pelvic fracture

2024-11-11 14:44 Last Updated At:14:50

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Monday that forward/center Chet Holmgren will miss at least eight weeks with a pelvic fracture.

Holmgren sustained a right iliac wing fracture during the first quarter of Sunday night's game against the Golden State Warriors. The team says it expects him to return this season, and an update will be provided in eight to 10 weeks.

It’s a big loss for a team that started the season with seven straight wins and currently is tied for the Western Conference lead with an 8-2 record. Holmgren was runner-up for Rookie of the Year last season and has been one of the league’s most efficient players this season. He is averaging 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

Holmgren contested a layup by Andrew Wiggins, collided with him and hit the floor hard. He immediately reached for his right hip and stayed down for a while before he was helped off the court. He did not put pressure on his right leg, but he gave a thumbs up as he hobbled off.

The Thunder led 16-12 when Holmgren was taken out and eventually fell behind by 30 late in the third quarter. Oklahoma City made it a game before losing 127-116.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said it was difficult to refocus after the injury.

“It’s hard," he said. "Hopefully, he’s OK. It’s part of the game, but it sucks.”

Oklahoma City entered Sunday night leading the league in defensive rating but didn't look like it in the second and third quarters without the team's anchor in the paint. The 7-foot-1 Holmgren is one of the league's top shot blockers, and he is agile enough to defend guards when he has to switch.

“It changed a lot for us defensively, for sure," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You guys can probably tell, he does so much on that end of the floor. He cleans up so many things, deters so many things around the rim when he’s not blocking them (shots).”

Still, the Thunder started the fourth quarter strong, and Oklahoma City trimmed its deficit to six in the closing minutes.

Gilgeous-Alexander said there was a lesson to be learned from the second half.

“Especially against good teams, you can’t go down that big," he said. “It’s almost impossible to come back. You’ve got to be better on both ends of the ball for longer periods of time.”

The Thunder, one of the deepest teams in the league, are suddenly thin in their frontcourt. Holmgren had moved from forward to center because newly-acquired big man Isaiah Hartenstein was out with a fractured left hand. The Thunder were also missing forward/center Jaylin Williams (right hamstring) and guard/forward Kenrich Williams (right knee).

Oklahoma City hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) gives a thumbs-up as he is helped off the court by Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, left, and center Isaiah Hartenstein, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) gives a thumbs-up as he is helped off the court by Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, left, and center Isaiah Hartenstein, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, left, and Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) collide as Wiggins shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Holmgren was injured on the play and helped off the court. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, left, and Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) collide as Wiggins shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Holmgren was injured on the play and helped off the court. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, center, gives a thumbs-up as he is helped off the court by Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, left, and center Isaiah Hartenstein, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, center, gives a thumbs-up as he is helped off the court by Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, left, and center Isaiah Hartenstein, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

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