The UK has raised the terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland to “severe”, meaning an attack is “highly likely”, ahead of the 25th anniversary in April of the landmark peace deal and an expected visit to the region by US president Joe Biden.
Tuesday’s new threat assessment by MI5, the domestic intelligence agency, reverses a decision in March last year to reduce the terror threat to “substantial”. That was the first time it had been amended in 12 years.
The increase to the second-highest threat level follows an attack on an off-duty officer in February claimed by dissident republican group the New IRA, and other incidents including attacks blamed on loyalist gangs linked with drug trafficking.
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