29-Aug-14: The British now call risk of a terror attack on the UK 'severe'

In the British media, British terrorism is now
a front-page concern

The spectre of terrorism is with us and not only not about to go away but doing fairly well on its own terms. (Whenever we speak publicly about how the "war on terror" is going, we make the point that whatever is happening, it's certainly going to get worse before it gets better. Nothing in the past dozen years has caused us to change that view.)

In a further reminder of the robustness of Islamist terrorism and its protagonists, Theresa May, the UK's Home Secretary, has today announced that her country’s assessment of its terror threat risk level is being raised from "substantial" to “severe”. The change conveys the message that an attack is now considered “highly likely.” Associated Press says that puts it at the second highest level (out of five possible categories) on the scale, the highest it has been since July 2011. The highest level on the scale is defined as "imminent".

The upward threat revision was decided by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center on the basis of intelligence; it is not a government decision. The minister says it stems from the perception that developments in Syria and Iraq make more likely than ever the threat of terrorist groups attacking Western targets.

"We face a real and serious threat in the UK from international terrorism... I would urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police."

AP says unspecified "fighters" who have traveled from Britain and Europe to take part in fighting in the Middle East are central to the elevated concern. The horrific murder - by beheading - of the American journalist James Foley is believed [source] to have been executed by a British jihadist. The Guardian calls him "intelligent, educated and a devout believer in radical Islamic teachings", and part of a small cluster of British terrorists, evidently all believers in Islamic teachings, who are called "The Beatles" by their hostages.