Iran and Russia escalate hybrid campaigns in Britain, MI5 chief McCallum warns
Director General Ken McCallum said in his annual threat speech that Iran is pursuing harder targets such as military sites, while Russia remains the 'aggressor number one'. The speech came a day after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tehran was 'highly likely' behind a suspected plot against RAF Fairford.
Iran shifts toward harder targets
MI5 Director General Ken McCallum used his annual threat speech on Tuesday, 13 October, to say Iran is ramping up attempts to hit harder targets such as military sites in Britain. He described a "major shift" this year in "Iranian ambitions to come at harder targets, like military sites". McCallum said he could not speak about the RAF Fairford incident because of an ongoing investigation, but he added that the incident "is not unique" and that there have been other examples in the UK and around the world. The suspected plot against the Gloucestershire air base, which was used by US bombers for strikes on Iran, took place on 27 September. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that Tehran was "highly likely" behind it, while Iran has rejected any involvement.
The RAF Fairford incident is not unique. There have been other examples, not just in the UK but around the world.
Russia and the hybrid campaign
McCallum said Russia, which also denies involvement in hostile acts in Britain, remains "aggressor number one". He said Russia is using tactics just short of conventional conflict, citing an attempted drone attack on a cargo plane at Leipzig airport in Germany and a cyber attack on Polish energy infrastructure. He linked this escalation to Moscow's setbacks, saying its military progress in Ukraine is minimal and horrifically costly.
Arrests and the Jewish community
McCallum said the spring saw a wave of arson and sabotage incidents targeting Jewish communities in the UK and other European countries, which he attributed to Iran and called "sickening". More than 50 people have been arrested in connection with Iran-linked operations in Britain over the past 12 months. Two Iranian nationals were charged in October over a suspected terrorist plot targeting Jews in the Manchester area. At least seven suspects were arrested in connection with the Fairford plot, including five British citizens detained shortly after midnight on 27 September.
The spring saw a wave of arson and sabotage incidents targeting Jewish communities in the U.K. and other European countries.
Infrastructure and AI threats
McCallum warned that Britain's electricity networks, water supplies and financial systems must be better protected against attacks by hostile states. He said the country had entered a "new era of national security" and that the period of relative stability had ended. MI5 is elevating its "Protect" mission, and McCallum said hackers have attacked energy and water infrastructure, including in the US. He also named AI misuse as a concern, particularly terrorists developing bioweapons or new pathogens, and said MI5 has formed a new centre focused on AI-driven threats. McCallum said state threats have quadrupled over the last decade, and MI5 now devotes more resources to them than it did during the Cold War.
We have again entered a new era of national security - requiring a new response.
Scale of state threats
McCallum said MI5 is now countering as many state threats as terrorist threats. He compared the present moment to 9/11, saying it was a seismic shock that changed the world and MI5, and that the current period is not a blip. He said the terror threat remains high, with Islamist terrorism as the key focus.
