UK Terrorism Police urge public to remain vigilant as severe terror threat continues

Counter Terrorism police in the UK are urging the public to “remain vigilant”, as the country is still at “severe” risk of a terrorist attack.

Although the festive period passed without incident, authorities are warning the public should not let their guard down.

It comes as France commemorates the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

The French interior Minister, the Mayor of Paris and family and friends of those who died, attended a ceremony to mark the moment two gunmen entered the magazine’s offices and opened fire with automatic weapons.

12 people were killed, including the magazine’s editor and a police officer responding to the attack.

France remains on high alert as the country prepares for Presidential elections in April.

French police arrested two 23 year old men in Paris in the weeks before Christmas, for allegedly planning a knife attack targeting Christmas shoppers.

In the UK, the threat level was raised to Severe in November, after a terrorist detonated a bomb outside the Liverpool Women’s hospital.

It was the second terrorist incident in a month, after the Conservative MP Sir David Amess was fatally stabbed at a constituency surgery in Essex.

A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing told GB News: “These attacks are a reminder that attacks can happen anywhere, in any community, town, or city.”

They added: “We need people to remain vigilant and report anything that seems suspicious.

“You are not wasting our time, and no call or click will be ignored.

“What you tell us is treated in the strictest confidence and any piece of information could be important.”

Authorities have confirmed that in the last year, Counter Terrorism Policing received around 10,000 reports from the public about suspected terrorist activity.

Around a fifth of those calls provided “useful intelligence” for counter terrorism officers and the security services.

The spokesperson urged the public to continue that “vital role” in acting as eyes and ears in local communities, adding: “We are working around the clock to disrupt and pursue terrorists, with over 800 live investigations and 32 plots disrupted since 2017.”