Islamic State aims to carry out “devastating” and “more complex attacks” on Europe despite its territorial losses in the Middle East, the head of MI5 will warn on Monday.
Speaking in Berlin – the first time a serving head of MI5 has given a public speech outside the UK – Andrew Parker will reveal that police and security services have thwarted 12 terror plots since the Westminster attack in March 2017, bringing the number of disrupted attacks to 25 since 2013.
Since 2016, there have been 45 attacks in Europe. On Saturday, one person was killed and four others injured in Paris in a knife attack claimed by IS.
According to a draft of the speech, the 56-year-old will tell the audience he is “confident about our ability to tackle these threats, because of the strength and resilience of our democratic systems, the resilience of our societies and the values we share with our European partners”.
Parker will underline the importance of European collaboration, and will point out that “in today’s uncertain world we need that shared strength more than ever”.
Parker will single out a coalition of domestic security services known as the Counter Terrorism Group, saying it is the “largest multinational counter-terrorism enterprise in the world” where “real-time intelligence sharing” involves “thousands of exchanges on advanced secure networks every week”.
During the talk, Parker will also condemn the Salisbury nerve agent attack as a “deliberate and targeted” act, accusing the Kremlin of “flagrant breaches of international rules”.
The attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, sparked a massive chemical alert. A huge investigation to identify the would-be assassins is ongoing.
According to the MI5 chief, who has had a 35-year-career in intelligence, the Russian government is pursuing an agenda through “aggressive and pernicious actions” by its military and intelligence services.
The British Government has pointed the finger at Russia, but Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility.
Parker will praise the international response to the attack, in which 28 European countries agreed to support the UK in expelling scores of Russian diplomats.