UK terrorism threat level raised to severe after Golders Green attack

UK terrorism threat level raised to severe after Golders Green attack30 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleThomas MackintoshEPAPolice declared Wednesday's double stabbing in Golders Green a terrorist incidentThe terrorism threat level in the UK has been increased by the government from "substantial" to "severe" - meaning that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely in the next six months.It comes after two Jewish men were stabbed in north London on Wednesday in an attack the Metropolitan Police is treating as a terrorist incident.The government said on Thursday evening that the increase in the threat level was not solely as a result of the Golders Green attack, but had also been "driven by an increase in broader Islamist and extreme right-wing" threats.Wednesday's attack is the latest in a string of incidents targeting the UK Jewish community.The last time the threat level was considered severe was in February 2022.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the raising of the threat level "will be a source of concern to many, particularly amongst our Jewish community, who have suffered so much".But she insisted the government "will do everything in our power to rid society of the evil of antisemitism", noting an earlier announcement increasing funding for policing and security around Jewish sites."As the threat level rises, I urge everyone to be vigilant, as they go about their daily lives, and report any concerns they have to the police," Mahmood added.The head of the Met's counter-terrorism unit told reporters outside New Scotland Yard shortly after the level was raised that the UK had been "experiencing a gradual terrorist threat for some time".Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: "Our casework is increasing across a number of ideologies, and within that, we are seeing an elevated threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions in the UK."We...