International Terrorism in Northern Ireland

International terrorism is now the biggest single security threat faced by the United Kingdom. It is not confined to London but affects all parts of the country.

In recent years there have been cases on both sides of the Irish border of individuals being charged and convicted of offences relating to international terrorism. Individuals in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been linked to international terrorism; the Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, speaking in July 2005, has said that there are "a number of al-Qaida sympathisers in Ireland" about whom the Garda was concerned.

A number of cases in recent years have highlighted the involvement of international terrorists with Northern Ireland. Most notably:

• In April 2003, Kamel Bourgass was convicted at the Old Bailey on charges relating to a plot to use the deadly poison ricin for terrorist purposes. One of the key figures in this "ricin plot" was an Algerian man, Mohammed Meguerba, who lived in the Republic of Ireland from 1995-2002 and married an Irish woman.


• Also in April 2003, Abbas Boutrab, an Algerian national, was arrested in Newtownabbey near Belfast. Police found computer disks with downloaded bomb-making instructions and a terrorist training manual, as well as a number of false identities and passports and details of how to make a silencer for an assault rifle. He was convicted of terrorist offences in December 2005 and sentenced to six years' imprisonment.

In response to the growing nationwide threat of international terrorism, Security Service resources have been increased. The role of the Service in combating the threat to Northern Ireland has also evolved. See The Security Service in Northern Ireland for more details.