Pathetic UK official says no hope of stopping every jihadist attack. Why has UK welcomed back hundreds who fought with Islamists in Syria? Royal guards withdraw for fear of Islamist killers

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1/9/15, "'We can't stop terror attacks' MI5 chief's chilling warning about jihadi threat to Britain," express.co.uk, John Ingham

"Britain faces a growing threat from terrorists at home and abroad and “cannot hope to stop” every plot, the boss of MI5 has warned."

"Andrew Parker said Al Qaeda terrorists in Syria were trying to direct atrocities here and planning “mass casualty attacks” against the West.

His chilling warning came as French police continued the hunt for brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, chief suspects in the Paris magazine massacre in which 12 people were shot dead.

Mr Parker, 52, warned that the terrorist threat was growing at the same time as MI5’s ability to track terrorists was being reduced.

Extremists are finding more secretive ways of communicating online and avoiding being tracked by the security services.

Mr Parker said: “If we are to have the best chance of preventing such harm, we need the capability to shine a light into the activities of the worst individuals who pose the gravest threats. But technological changes risk closing off areas where we need to operate.

The dark places from where those who wish us harm can plot and plan are increasing.”

A parliamentary report last year into the murder of soldier Lee Rigby by Islamist fanatics on the streets of London in 2013 criticised a US internet firm for failing to alert the authorities to the “graphic” fantasies of one of his killers.

Britain’s terror alert remains at the second highest level of “severe”, which means an attack is highly likely.

Mr Parker’s speech to defence experts in London was planned long before the Paris shootings. He said:

“It is a terrible reminder of the intentions of those who wish us harm. As you would expect, we are offering our French colleagues our full support as they respond.”

In the UK four serious plots, ranging from lone wolf attacks to major terrorist operations, are known to have been foiled in the past year.

Mr Parker, who directed Britain’s response to the July 2005 London bombings, said the number of British extremists who have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight as jihadis has risen to 600 with half of them already back home.

About 40 are known to have been killed in action, mainly fighting for Islamic State, which Mr Parker described as “visceral” in its brutality and indulging in “the very worst imaginable forms of treatment of other human beings”.

Describing the intelligence task as “challenging”, he said IS was “trying to direct terrorist attacks in the UK and elsewhere from Syria, using violent extremists here as their instruments.

They are seeking through propaganda to provoke individuals in the UK to carry out attacks here.”

He stressed that the security services needed help from the public in foiling such attacks. He added:

“We face more complex and ambitious plots that follow the now sadly well-established approach of Al Qaeda and its imitators – attempts to cause large-scale loss of life, often by attacking transport systems or iconic targets.

We know, for example, that a group of hardcore Al Qaeda terrorists in Syria is planning mass casualty attacks against the West.”

Plots thwarted in the past year include attacks planned by individuals fired up by propaganda as well as organised terrorist operations.

The plots are thought to have involved gun and bomb attacks. Terrorist-related arrests are up 35 per cent compared with four years ago and more than 140 people have been convicted.

Mr Parker said: “We cannot be complacent. Although we and our partners try our utmost we know that we cannot hope to stop everything.”

In a clear message to his political paymasters, he added: “My sharpest concern as director general of MI5 is the growing gap between the increasingly challenging threat and the decreasing availability of capabilities to address it.”"

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"Last month, police chiefs warned officers not to wear their uniforms to and from work as Islamic terrorists were looking to target officers."...

12/28/14, "Retreating of the Queen's Guard: End of an era as palace sentries fall back in face of mounting fears of new 'lone wolf' terrorist attack," UK Daily Mail, by Abul Yaher, Mark Nicol

"Security chiefs have taken the dramatic step of withdrawing Royal Guards from their high-profile posts outside palaces amid mounting fears of ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attacks.

Elite soldiers of the Queen's Guard have pulled back from public positions at many landmarks in response to possible threats from Islamic extremists.

For the first time since the height of the IRA’s terror campaign, the soldiers are also no longer allowed on sentry duty alone, and are now accompanied by armed police.

The move to more secure positions behind gates or railings is a direct response to attacks such as the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby and the killing of a sentry by a lone gunman at the Canadian Parliament two months ago.

But the measures have been described as a ‘retreat’ for the Guards, known the world over for their bearskin caps....

At Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles, the guardsmen who used to stand in front of the gates on The Mall, a public road, have now been relocated, along with their sentry boxes, behind metal gates. 

Tourists, who love to pose with the Guards, can now barely see them. Police officers confirmed changes had been made for security reasons.

At St James’s Palace, the London home of Princess Anne and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, two Guardsmen used to perform sentry duties beneath its famous clock tower on Pall Mall. 

These guards and their sentry boxes have now been moved into a secluded courtyard inside the perimeter, leaving no visible presence at the clock tower gate....

One Guards insider said: ‘We’re fully in favour as if an attack on a sentry can happen in Canada it can happen here. By moving behind the railings we’ve got a chance to respond, most likely saving lives.

‘The changes were introduced in response to the Canadian attack and because there’s been a sharp rise in people armed with mobile phones trying to wind up the sentries and make them lose their temper.’...

Last month, police chiefs warned officers not to wear their uniforms to and from work as Islamic terrorists were looking to target officers....

Guardsmen carry rifles equipped with bayonets but as a rule their rifles are not loaded with live ammunition. 

The Guardsmen may carry up to six rounds in a belt pouch and may load their rifles in event of a terrorist attack, but that would take valuable time."...
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Image: "Elite soldiers of the Queen's Guard have pulled back from pubic positions at many landmarks in response to possible threats from Islamic extremists," UK Daily Mail

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