Britain’s security services have been put on their second highest state of alert amid intelligence of an al-Qaeda attack, the BBC has learned. The internal "severe general" alert is said to be unconnected to US President Bush’s forthcoming UK visit. It follows warnings about plans by al-Qaeda supporters from North Africa. The alert means security will be extra tight around potential targets. Sources say no attack is imminent, and there is no intelligence of a specific target.
The internal alerts are for the security services only, including the police, the army and MI5, and not usually made public. The UK is officially on high alert, but within this the internal and usually secret level has gone from "substantial" to "severe general". BBC correspondent Margaret Gilmore said: "It may be that they have information which points to people who they have suspicions about, that maybe they put on extra vigilance there. "It is rare to be put on this highest alert... but these are warnings very much for the security services, these are not warnings aimed at the public because there is not a lot the public can do about them." She added: "Obviously it’s a further complication in the security nightmare surrounding the Bush visit, but it is not connected to that." The Home Office has refused to comment, saying it never discusses threat levels unless there is a specific threat. |