Current threats to UK Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Current threats to UK Security - Essay Example (Chalk & Rosenau, 2004) On the British mainland, the police were responsible for all intelligence operations against Irish Republican terrorism work through the Special Branch (SB) of the Metropolitan Police Service. However, a series of high-profile terrorist incidents in London in the early 1990s, including a mortar attack on Number 10 Downing Street, prompted the British government in 1992 to take appropriate actions against terror by giving the Security Service lead responsibility for all intelligence gathering related to Irish extremism. Britain was then followed by significant terror attacks from 1988, when the country suffered with the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie. The terrorists found to be two Libyan agents. When British counter-terrorism efforts were busy concentrating on the IRA's bombing campaign, Britain was again confronted to the terror attacks, which resulted in the outcome of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. At last it was clear to the UK's intelligence agencies and military police that London is being continuously used as the grounds for terrorism attacks for individuals that promote, organise and fund terrorism. It was found that such individuals belonged from Middle East and related nations. Britain at that time was either over confident of the national security or may be it did not consider the terror attacks and International terrorism due to which it made a mistake of ignoring threats from Al-Qaeda. Even the 9/11 attacks remain unable to gain attention of the British intelligence community. But the suicide terror attacks after 9/11 in London, made the forces realise to take appropriate considerations against terrorism. Today Al-Qaeda is considered to be the most dangerous form of terrorist threat not only in Britain but also to the whole International system. Among the most traditional terrorist groups formed, Al-Qaeda is the most modernized form of terror as its aim is to promote mass killing through every possible means. It is considered to be the most perilous of all the groups because it plans and implements those plans beyond killing. 'Brainwashing' is its most significant characteristic, which leads to suicide bombing. It plays with the morals of the young generation thereby convincing and brainwashing them with the advantages of suicide bombings. The UK is confronted towards the risky situation of threat due to some reasons. First it is the closest ally of the United States, which is the most precarious enemy of Al-Qaeda. It has deployed armed forces in the military campaigns to bring down the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and Iraq, and has played a leading role in the cooperation against Al-Qaeda. (Gregory Frank & Wilkinson Paul). Al-Qaeda has not stopped sending threatening messages to the UK, which are to some extent still ignored by the military forces. The extremists have succeeded in taking advantage of the current circumstances where they assume UK to be an easy meal for them as they are very well aware that their deployment within the UK territory is not a big deal and in particular circumstances where there is a new threat of 'suicide bombers', it is a lot more easier for them to harass