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The official terrorist threat level was today downgraded to its lowest level since before the 7 July London bombings in 2005.
The decision to reduce the classi- fication from "severe" to "substantial" means that although an attack is be- lieved to remain a strong possibility, it is no longer regarded as highly likely.
The change, which follows a renewed assessment of the danger by the Government's Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, was announced by Home Secretary Alan Johnson.
He cautioned that the country still faced a "real and serious" threat and urged the public to remain vigilant as police and MI5 continued to target extremists. "The Joint Terrorism Analy-sis Centre has reduced the threat to the UK from international terrorism from severe to substantial," he said.
"This means that an attack on the UK is a strong possibility. JTAC make their judgments based on a broad range of factors, including the intent and capabilities of international terrorist groups in the UK. We still face a real and serious threat from terrorists, and the public will notice little difference in the security measures in place. I urge the public to remain vigilant.
"The police and security services are continuing their thorough efforts to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity."
The last time the official threat level - which can range across five classifications from "low" to "critical" - was set at substantial was in May 2005, two months before the July 7 bombings.
Since the London attacks it has generally remained at "severe", despite occasionally and briefly rising to "critical" -which means an attack is imminent - due to the extent of the per- ceived danger from the estimated 2,000 potential terror suspects identified by MI5.
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, a unit within MI5, sets the level based on intelligence.
The assessment covers potential attacks by al Qaeda or linked extremist groups and the threat from dissident Republican and Loyalist terrorists in Northern Ireland.
The level is under constant review and can change quickly in response to events. It was previously kept secret, but was made public for the first time on 1 August 2006, when it was severe.
It was raised to critical on 10 August that year after a series of arrests over an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic aircraft, but lowered to severe again the following week.
The threat level was last at critical in June 2007 following the attack on Glasgow Airport and the failed car bombings in central London.
This month the UK's most senior counter-terrorism officer, John Yates, hinted at the possibility of a change.
He told the Association of Chief Police Officers' conference in Manchester: "I think there is a possibility the threat level may come down. It is logical because we cannot keep having it high unless the threat is there."
Reader views (8)
They should repeal S.44 of the 2000 Prevention of Terrorism Act, the most unEnglish piece of oppressive legislation ever seen in this country. If they've downgraded the "threat" that can only mean they're paving the way for MOSSAD to conduct another atrocity on English soil, blame the Arabs, and start another illegal war in our name.
- Neil, London, London UK, 20/07/2009 16:52
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If this govt.are telling us the threat of a terror attack has reduced going by their record on everything else we can bank on it that Britain is about to be blown off the map completely.
- Russell, London, 20/07/2009 16:06
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has it been downgraded because the threat is less severe or to make it look like we aren't losing the war in Afghanistan?
- John, Llandudno, Wales, 20/07/2009 16:06
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So when are we going to see police powers reduced?
- Tom Fotheringham, London, 20/07/2009 15:59
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All in all, it's a little silly really isn't it.
You could say the country has no threat whatsoever, and then someone comes along and blows up a bus. Now the level jumps back up just like that.
Actions determine this so called threat level, not times between attacks.
"I think there is a possibility the threat level may come down. It is logical because we cannot keep having it high unless the threat is there."
The threat is always there, this level only rises on suspicion and knowledge of attacks, which just isn't good enough.
- Michael, Durham, England, 20/07/2009 15:59
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So definately no need for ID cards now then, because the terroists have taken flight because they would be the only ones applying for them. After reading Johnson's predecessor's admission that her NVQ in Home Secretarialship wasn't up to much, (that's NVQ for 'Not Very Qualified', why on earth should we believe anything that this sad excuse for a Governmant says.
- Alan, carlisle uk, 20/07/2009 15:56
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80% of the prison population in the UK are from single parents, does the EU have a hidden agenda.
- William, Hay~Heath UK, 20/07/2009 15:53
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How could anyone possibly know this?Rubbish!
- Steve, London, 20/07/2009 15:51
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