Posted on July 14, 2017

UK Terror Plot Thwarted Within Minutes of Execution, Met Chief Reveals

Telegraph, July 14, 2017

Police have thwarted five terror attacks in the last few weeks including some which were “very close” to being carried out, Britain’s most senior police officer has said.

This year alone, the UK has been targeted by four terror attacks – three of which happened in London in busy and popular areas – which killed and injured scores of people.

Speaking on Nick Ferrari’s show on LBC on Friday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said a “very large number of plots” have been foiled over the last few years.

Cressida Dick

July 7, 2017 – London, UK – Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick lays flowers during a service for the 12th anniversary of 7/7 attack. (Credit Image: © Jonathan Brady/PA Wire via ZUMA Press)

Pressed on exactly how many attacks have been thwarted, she said that in “just the last few weeks”, five have been averted.

“Overall I think it is well into the teens in the last couple of years, where we know people were intent on attacking and that has been stopped,” she said.

“In addition, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of arrests of people who are radicalised, and are either spreading hatred or supporting terrorism, or want to carry out a terrorist attack.

“We have had a huge number of successful operations, together with the intelligence agencies and we work very closely with them and with colleagues overseas.”

Quizzed on how far-progressed the thwarted attacks were, Ms Dick suggested some of them were within minutes of being executed by terrorists.

“Some of them were very close, we would say, to an attack – very close,” she said.

When asked if they were “within minutes” of being carried out, Ms Dick replied: “Yes.”