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The head of the UK’s domestic spy agency MI5 warned that it was being “stretched” by a growing number of security threats from Russia and Iran, as well as the resurgence of the Islamic State terror group.
Ken McCallum, the director general of MI5, said in a rare public address that the security service now has “an uncomfortable life” deciding what to prioritize and what “we just can’t get to.”
“That puts us under pretty sharp pressure,” he said. With the new UK’s government budget set to be unveiled in a few weeks, the MI5 chief stressed that “allocating our finite capacity” is “harder than I can recall in my career.”
MI5 investigations into hostile states have surged by 50% in a single year, McCallum said, adding that Russian intelligence operatives are on a “sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets.” UK law enforcement tackled 20 “potentially lethal” plots backed by Tehran since 2022, and McCallum said the Iranian threat could grow if the conflicts in the Middle East expand.
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European and UK intelligence agencies have been on high alert for months, warning that the conflict in the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing sabotage campaign across the continent have created a much more dangerous security environment.
Norway raised its terrorism alert level on Tuesday citing the tensions in the Middle East; Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Slovenia have also done so in recent months.
The European Union condemned Russia for its “intensifying campaign” of sabotage, election interference, and cyber attacks, warning that Russia is seeking to divide the European Union and undermine its support for Ukraine.
