MI5 chief sees decline in terror attack threat

London: The threat of a homegrown terror attack in Britain has declined over the last 18 months, according to newspaper reports published yesterday quoting the director of the country's domestic intelligence agency.

But senior Al Qaida leaders still hope to recruit Britons to carry out bombings in the country, MI5 director-general Jonathan Evans was quoted as saying by six British newspapers.

A British security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity since the person was not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed the reports of Evans' comments were accurate.

MI5 said it was the first-ever media interview by a serving director in the agency's 100-year history. Evans gave the interview on Tuesday. He said the persistent surveillance of around 2,000 targets, and a string of successful prosecutions of terrorists in Britain's courts in recent years, has forced many suspected extremists to restrict their activities, the newspapers reported.

"There have been 86 successful convictions since January 2007 of whom approaching half pleaded guilty, which has had a chilling effect on the enthusiasm of the networks.

"They're keeping their heads down," Evans was quoted as saying. "We have probably seen fewer late-stage attack plans over the last 18 months." But he said terrorists in Britain and overseas retain the ability, and desire, to mount attacks like the 2005 suicide bombings, when four Britons killed 52 commuters on London's transit network in a series of coordinated suicide bombings, according to the reports.

"The strategic intent of the Al Qaida core, in Pakistan, is to mount attacks in the UK, and their model is to use British nationals or residents to deliver the attacks," said.

MI5 said he believes Osama bin Laden is likely still alive, but now acting only as a "symbolic figurehead" for extremists, according to the reports.

Evans granted the interview to mark the centenary year of Britain's domestic spy agency, which was set up in October 1909 to investigate fears that German spies were attempting to gain intelligence on Britain's naval ports, MI5 said.

Economic turmoil: Crisis could fuel militancy

The world economic crisis could heighten the terrorism threat facing Britain, the head of MI5 has cautioned.

In an interview Jonathan Evans, the director general of the security service, said a potential shift in the balance of economic power away from the West could prove to be a "watershed moment" causing new risks to security to emerge.

The 2012 Olympics remained a major target, he said, but a "chilling effect" of 86 successful terror prosecutions over the past 18 months had diminished the overall threat faced by the UK.

His most significant assessment was that the economic slump could leave the country more vulnerable to terrorism.

- Evening Standard