Terror attack over Christmas 'highly likely', warns Reid

The Home Secretary warned that the threat of attacks by Islamic extremists in the coming weeks was 'very high indeed', with 30 'major' conspiracies currently being monitored by the security services.

But Dr Reid faced immediate criticism from opposition figures who accused him of giving out just enough information to cause widespread fear, without any meaningful attempt to involve or educate the public in helping to prevent or cope with terror attacks.

The row came as it emerged that the Foreign Office has urged Government ministers to stop using the phrase 'war on terror' - coined by US President George Bush following the September 11 attacks - claiming it risked angering British Muslims and raising tensions worldwide.

John Reid used a television interview yesterday to stress the high likelihood of a Christmas season terror strike, and said the Government's current official assessment was of a 'severe' threat, one grade down from the highest 'critical' level.

He told GMTV's Sunday programme: "We know that the number of conspiracies of a major type are in the tens - 30 or round about that.

"We ought to be very grateful to the people in the security services and the police and in other areas who work night and day to try to protect us.

"We can never guarantee that we will get 100 per cent success but we do get 100 per cent effort from the security services."

He said an attempted attack was not 'inevitable', but added: "The terrorists only have to get through once, as they did on July 7, for us to see the terrible carnage that it causes.

"Our security services have to be successful on every occasion to prevent that happening.

"I try to walk the tightrope between being truthful and honest about the threat to the public but, on the other hand, to say we are doing everything possible to combat it and to try to keep our lifestyle as near as possible to the British way of life."

Dr Reid was echoing recent public warnings from MI5 chief Eliza Manningham-Buller, who said 30 'mass casualty' terror plots were being monitored, among some 200 identified networks involving 1,600 individuals under surveillance, and warned that Britain was now thought to be Al Qaeda's number one target for terror plots.

Conservative homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer said: "If the Government wants to make things more difficult for the terrorists, they have to involve the public in a constructive way. Otherwise warnings like this are nothing but hollow rhetoric.

"Where are the efforts to advise people on what to do in the event of an attack, or what to look out for to help prevent one?

"Where are the instruction posters on the Tube in London? Where are the new radios to allow the emergency services to communicate underground?

"Knowledge dispels fear, but John Reid is giving us fear with no knowledge."

Mr Mercer also voiced concerns that ministers are using repeated warnings of impending attacks partly to 'soften up' public opinion for the introduction of more sweeping counter-terrorism powers, including another attempt to introduce 90-day detention without charge for suspects in terrorist cases.

The Foreign Office confirmed yesterday that it has urged ministers and British diplomats abroad to stop using the phrase 'war on terror' to describe efforts to counter Islamic extremists.

Officials said the aim was to 'avoid reinforcing and giving succour to the terrorists' narrative by using language that, taken out of context, could be counter-productive'.

President Bush's description of a 'war on terror' has long been criticised by terrorism experts who believe the phrase is inflammatory, inaccurate and helpful to terrorist groups.

However the US State Department said there were no plans to drop the phrase in Washington.

A spokeswoman said: "It's the President's phrase, and that's good enough for us."