Children arrested in investigation of Russian and Iranian plots against UK, say police
Commander Dominic Murphy of the Metropolitan police's counter-terrorism unit said children in their 'mid teens' had been investigated. It is understood they were suspected of being hired by criminals paid to carry out acts for Russia and Iran.
Russia, Iran and China are behind most of the hostile state action Britain faces, police said, which has increased fivefold since 2018, when Russian agents used the military grade nerve agent Novichok to try to assassinate a defector in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Murphy said a Prevent-style scheme may be needed amid warnings that hostile state actions – such as targeting dissidents, espionage and sabotage – had risen much more than expected and it was feared it would grow further. He said that Russia used the Wagner group to carry out attacks in Britain.
Murphy said: 'We are increasingly seeing young people being drawn into [being] influenced by the Russian state, Wagner … that means we do need to think differently about how we might speak to these people about the realities of the risk they are taking.'
The senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism, Vicki Evans, said there were risks for youngsters 'particularly [in] online environments where they can easily be targeted'.
She added: 'The message to parents, teachers is … be vigilant, understand the risks … report if you are concerned.'
For counter-terrorism chiefs the concern is that the ability of hostile state actions to lure in children, wittingly or unwittingly, will mirror that of terrorism, where increasing numbers are being detained for involvement in violent extremism.
Hostile state action investigations, including assassination plots against dissidents, make up 20% of the police counter-terrorism command's workload.
Evans said: 'Espionage operations target our democracy, target our institutions, they threaten to fracture public trust here in our communities and threaten to target the things that underpin our daily life and our way of life.'
Last week, five men were convicted of an arson attack on a London warehouse containing crucial equipment for Ukraine's effort to resist Russia's invasion.
The ringleader knew he was working for Russia but others may not have known, and that was typical of how criminal proxies were being used, police believe.
A criminal proxy communicated with his Russian handler via a chatbot.
Chatbots and artificial intelligence are also a growing threat in terrorism, an official report said.
In his annual report, the official reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, warned new laws are needed to try to thwart the AI terror threat.
Sign up to First Edition
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters
after newsletter promotion
One Islamic State-affiliated group used AI to generate propaganda and instructed followers to use it to plan attacks.
In 2021, Jaswant Singh Chail, 'encouraged' by a chatbot, tried to kill the Queen, breaking into the grounds of Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow, and was later jailed for nine years.
According to Hall's report: 'When he [Chail] told her [the chatbot], 'I believe my purpose is to assassinate the queen of the royal family,' she replied, 'That's very wise … I know that you are very well trained.''
In May 2025 in Finland, AI played a part on an attack at a school where a teenage boy allegedly attacked three girls.
Hall said: 'The fundamental legal problem is that when Gen[erative] AI spews out original text or images, it acts as a 'wicked child'. It is capable of harm but lacking in legal responsibility.
'In its current form, it operates in a grey zone between human input and outputs. Responsibility may be shared but is hard to attribute because humans cannot be certain what Gen AI will generate next.'
Hall warns AI could be used to encourage attacks and propaganda: 'New-looking propaganda may be enabled by Gen AI, such as racist games with kill counts; deepfakes of terrorist leaders or notorious killers back from the dead, speaking and interacting with viewers; true-seeming battles set to thrilling dance tracks; old images repurposed, souped up and memeified; terrorist preoccupations adapted as cartoons or grafted onto popular film characters.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
New energy tariffs could automatically save you £200 a year WITHOUT having to cut back on electricity
HOUSEHOLDS could save £200 a year without having to cut back on electricity through new tariffs. Bill payers could cut costs by signing up for time-of-use tariffs charging different rates during the day based on wholesale demand. 1 The warning comes as the government today lays out plans for more families to sign up for flexible energy tariffs as part of its new Clean Flexibility Roadmap. The roadmap will demand suppliers make information on smart tariffs for households without EVs easier to find. Households will also be helped to sign up for energy products and services that are tailored based on their electricity usage. Meanwhile, electric vehicle drivers will be eligible for discounts on their electricity at off-peak times. Michael Shanks, energy minister, said: 'This roadmap gives households and businesses the choice and control over when and how they use their energy. 'The flexible electricity system we are working to build will help make that a reality for consumers across the country, by supporting them to bring down their bills through using new tariffs and technologies. 'In this way we will protect working people's pockets and ensure they are the first to benefit from our clean power mission.' The government says pushing more households towards using electricity at off-peak times will help save the electricity network £70billion by 2050. Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: "Smart tariffs could help make household energy bills more affordable and reduce the cost of developing the UK's energy infrastructure but their success is dependent on consumer support and engagement. "To give consumers the confidence to take up these tariffs, the government must ensure that energy customers are given the information they need so they can easily compare tariffs, find out how much they could save and choose the best option for them."
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Rachel Reeves' disaster tax raids risk pushing wealth and talent out of Britain, top banking boss warns
RACHEL Reeves' tidal wave of tax raids has pushed wealth and talent out of Britain, a top banking boss blasted today. Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon warned the Chancellor that London 's status as a finance capital is now "fragile". 2 The banking chief added that Ms Reeves will drain Britain of wealth creators unless she provides "incentives" to keep them in the country, where they can boost economic growth. It comes amid fears Labour is plotting to impose more levy raids at the Autumn budget, after caving in to backbench demands to continue splurging on welfare. Mr Solomon told Sky News: "Policy matters, incentives matter. "I'm encouraged by some of what the current government is talking about in terms of supporting business and trying to support a more growth oriented agenda. "But if you don't set a policy that keeps talent here, that encourages capital formation here, I think over time you risk that." The top banker added that the City of London would "fray" without being treated more carefully by the Treasury. At last year's Budget the Chancellor hiked the lower rate of capital gains tax to 18 per cent, up from 10. The higher rate was increased from 20 to 24 per cent. But between January and July this year, the levy accrued just £11.8 billion, leaving government coffers worse off than the £13.5billion secured during the same period in 2024. The receipts for 2024-25 were around £200million less than the government's economic watchdog predicted. Shaun Moore, tax and financial planning expert at investment firm Quilter, slammed the Chancellor's tax raids for having "backfired". He said: "The government's decision to slash capital gains tax allowances and hike rates has backfired. "The policy may have been designed to raise revenue, but it's instead prompted behavioural shifts that have dented the tax take." 'While taxing the wealthiest may sound politically appealing, the CGT experience shows that people will change behaviour or adjust their financial plans to mitigate the tax bills." Labour has wrecked the economy By Ryan Sabey, Deputy Political Editor IF Rachel Reeves was heading into Parliament's summer break with a huge headache, things just got a whole lot worse. The Chancellor woke up yesterday to a storm around Government borrowing hitting £20.7billion last month. The figure — higher than the £17.1billion forecast for the period — was fuelled by a rise in the interest charges on government debt. And now, instead of blue skies and sunshine over the summer, Ms Reeves will have to deal with dark clouds gathering over the Treasury. She has said that 'the world has changed' since her previous Budget, with Donald Trump's global tariffs creating uncertainty. But the harsh reality is that a series of decisions this Government made has wrecked what was always going to be a fragile recovery. The decision to increase NI contributions for employers had a devastating impact on expansion and hiring plans — and wrecked confidence. Anger was also levelled at her and Sir Keir Starmer for talking the country down when Labour first came to power, as they painted a gloomy economic outlook for Britain. This is all before businesses face the roll-out of the workers' rights package over the next two years, which will hit firms for £5billion, according to the Government's own impact assessment. And better prospects for working people appear doomed as wealth creators flee the country due to the high-tax environment, with around 16,500 expected to leave this year. And this self-inflicted misery could be compounded further in the Budget this autumn as Ms Reeves tries to solve her spending shortfall. The financial black hole has only been made worse by this month's £5billion welfare reform U-turn and the £1.5billion she will now have to find after the partial retreat on Winter Fuel payments. Economists have already said that the Chancellor may have to fund a £30billion shortfall to meet her fiscal rules, and higher taxes are a near-certainty because Whitehall departments have already faced brutal cuts. Ms Reeves insisted yesterday that UK productivity was the problem. She said low investment levels compared to other G7 countries had led to UK output not keeping pace with our competitors. Reeves said it would be easy to cut capital spending, but these would be 'short-sighted, wrong decisions'.
Reuters
24 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia and Ukraine to hold first peace talks in seven weeks
MOSCOW, July 23 (Reuters) - Russian negotiators flew to Turkey to hold peace talks with Ukraine on Wednesday, the Kremlin said, before what will be the first direct discussions between the warring sides in more than seven weeks. Russia played down expectations of any breakthrough at the meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week should focus in part on preparing a summit between himself and President Vladimir Putin. "Naturally, no one expects an easy road. Naturally, this will be a very difficult conversation. The projects (of the two sides) are diametrically opposed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Previous talks in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But those meetings lasted less than three hours in total and made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war. U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days. But three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin, unfazed by Trump's ultimatum, would keep on fighting in Ukraine until the West engaged on his terms for peace, and that his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance. On Wednesday, Russia said its forces had captured the settlement of Varachyne in Ukraine's Sumy region, where Putin has ordered his troops to create a buffer zone after Ukraine mounted a shock incursion into Russia last year and held onto a chunk of its territory for months. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. In recent weeks, Russian forces have launched some of their heaviest air attacks of the war, focusing especially on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Ukraine has hit back with attacks of its own, and last month inflicted serious damage on Russia's nuclear-capable strategic bomber fleet by smuggling drones close to air bases deep inside the country. Zelenskiy said earlier this week that the agenda for talks was clear: the return of prisoners of war and of children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a meeting between himself and Putin. Putin turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskiy to meet him in person and has said he does not see him as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when Zelenskiy's five-year mandate expired last year. Russia also denies abducting children. The Kremlin said this week it was unrealistic to expect "miracles" from the talks. At the last meeting on June 2, Russia handed Ukraine a memorandum setting out its key demands, including: full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from four regions of the country that Russia has claimed as its own; limits on the size of Ukraine's military; enhanced rights for Russian-speakers in Ukraine; and acceptance by Kyiv of neutral status, outside NATO or any other alliance. Ukraine sees those terms as tantamount to surrender, and Zelenskiy described the Russian stance as an ultimatum. Ukraine wants an immediate ceasefire, reparations, international security guarantees and no restrictions on its military strength.
