Counter-Terrorism

Since the 1960s, the Security Service has been involved in combating terrorist threats to UK interests, both at home and overseas. Terrorist attacks of all kinds, worldwide, continue at high levels.

It is difficult to obtain accurate information about the intentions and activities of secretive and sometimes highly organised groups. Many are based in inaccessible areas overseas, and some are under the protection of governments whose interest they serve.

There are limits to what can be done to prevent attacks planned and launched abroad. Our techniques, and the way in which we cooperate with other agencies at home and overseas, have to keep pace with the terrorists' methods and capabilities.

A number of organisations involved in terrorism have been proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 (new window). Membership of, or support for, proscribed organisations in the UK is a criminal offence. Terrorism is defined by the Act as:

The use or threat of action designed to influence government or to intimidate the public, or a section of the public, and is made for the purposes of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause and it involves or causes either:

• serious violence against a person;
• serious damage to a property;
• a threat to a person's life;
• a serious risk to the health and safety of the public; or
• serious interference with or disruption to an electronic system.

There have been significant successes in preventing acts of terrorism both in the UK and abroad and in helping law enforcement agencies to arrest terrorists or disrupt their activities.

Across the intelligence community, resources have been re-prioritised to reflect the increased threat from international terrorism. New resources have also been given to the Service by the Government to increase our intelligence-gathering capabilities.

We aim to erode the terrorists' capability to initiate and sustain campaigns against UK interests and those of our allies.