UK lowers N. Ireland terror threat after year on 'severe'

The UK lowered the terrorism threat in Northern Ireland from "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely to happen, to "substantial." This assessment still indicates an attack is likely to happen.

The UK's domestic security service, MI5, made the decision independently of government ministers, UK officials said.

Why was the level raised in 2023?

The level was raised around a year agoas the US President Biden was preparing to visit Northern Ireland and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement, a landmark peace accord that largely ended sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics.

But with Brexit complicating travel and cross-border trade with the Catholic-dominated Republic of Ireland, authorities in both countries have grown wary of new threats. A police officer was shot in 2023, and there had been a failed bomb attack in November 2022. Both of the attacks were claimed by the New Irish Army, New IRA, a dissident militant group that wants reunification with the Republic of Ireland.

"Positive step" but public should stay vigilant, says Northern Ireland Office

"This positive step reflects the commitment of communities from across Northern Ireland to build a safer place to live and work," said Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

"As ever, the public should remain vigilant and report any concerns they may have to the police," he added, warning that there was still "a small group of people determined to destabilize the political settlement in Northern Ireland through acts of terrorism."

Ireland and the UK-ruled Northern Ireland have faced centuries of religious and political violence, with the most recent escalation known as "The Troubles" starting in the late 1960s. The Good Friday Agreement, on April 10, 1998, brought peace and transformed the UK region.

The annual security statistics by The Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) for 2023 reveal an increase in paramilitary activity, such as shootings, bombings and assaults. At the same time, the officials also recorded no security-related deaths since March 2023, which is the first time this has happened since police records began in 1969.

as/dj (AFP, DW sources)