Police have disrupted seven “late-stage” terror attacks since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest figures take the total number of foiled terrorism plots in the last four years to 32, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said.
It comes as senior police officers warned the public “not to let their guard slip during the festive period”.
Since March 2017, there have been 18 disrupted plots related to Islamist extremism, 12 linked to extreme right-wing terrorism and two to left, anarchist or “single issue terrorism”.
Police officer with a machine gun
Victoria Jones
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, the senior national coordinator for CTP, said the public would be “well aware of the fact that the UK has suffered two terror attacks in quick succession, with the national threat level raising to severe – meaning an attack is highly likely.”
He added: “All of this combines to paint a picture of a sustained and high tempo threat, which our world-class police, security and intelligence services are doing everything in their power to combat.
“But it takes a whole society approach to effectively tackle terrorism, and co-operation between the police and the public is vital, so we need you to be vigilant, and we need you to be alert.
“As we approach the festive period, we need the public to help play their part in protecting the UK.”
He urged people to trust their “instincts” and contact police over suspicious activity.
