The terrorism threat level in the UK has been raised from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’, meaning an attack is ‘highly likely’.
It comes after four people were killed in a shooting in Vienna last night (November 2).
Last week, three other people died in a knife attack in Nice, France, while teacher Sameul Paty was murdered in Paris last month.
‘Severe’ is the fourth highest level set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service (MI5).
The five levels of threat are:
- Low – an attack is highly unlikely
- Moderate – an attack is possible but not likely
- Substantial – an attack is likely
- Severe – an attack is highly likely
- Critical – an attack is highly likely in the near future
Home Secretary Priti Patel described the change in level as a “precautionary measure” and is “not based on any specific threat”.
She added: “The public should continue to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police.”