Latest news with #KenMcCallum
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Warning to parents to stop kids accessing toxic content online amid surge in children being brainwashed for terror acts
SECURITY chiefs are calling on parents to stop children accessing toxic online material over the summer holidays. The unprecedented warning comes as it emerged a growing number of kids, some as young as 12, are being 2 The NCA's Alexander Murray also warned of online toxic masculinity as seen in Netflix hit Adolescence. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix. Around one in five people arrested for terrorist offences are aged under 18 and half of all referrals to the Government's Prevent anti-radicalisation programme are children. Appealing to parents yesterday, MI5 boss Sir Ken McCallum said: 'In a few clicks, young people can be speaking to terrorists online, consuming violent content. 'Terrorists are using slick propaganda to pull young people down a dangerous and potentially life-changing path.' He joined chiefs from the National Crime Agency and Counter Terrorism Policing to urge parents and carers to be vigilant about children's use of the internet. READ MORE UK NEWS It was the first such warning ever issued and comes after heads of the 'Five Eyes' nations — the UK, US, Australia , New Zealand and Canada — last year called for action to combat the growing threat to kids posed by online extremism. Counter Terrorism Policing head Vicki Evans said: 'We encourage parents to activate parental controls on routers, devices and apps , and to start the conversation about online safety.' The NCA's Alexander Murray also warned of online toxic masculinity, as seen in Netflix hit Adolescence. He said: 'There is a fast-growing threat from sadistic and violent online gangs . . . including fraud, cyber, child sexual abuse, violence and extremism.' Most read in The Sun Stephen Graham and Ashley Walters' acclaimed drama Adolescence smashes huge Netflix record by DOUBLE after taking world by storm 2 Children as young as 12, are being radicalised and brainwashed into committing acts of terrorism Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Warning to parents to stop kids accessing toxic content online amid surge in children being brainwashed for terror acts
Terrorists are using slick propaganda to pull young people down a dangerous and potentially life-changing path, MI5 boss Sir Ken McCallum warned WEB FEARS Warning to parents to stop kids accessing toxic content online amid surge in children being brainwashed for terror acts Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SECURITY chiefs are calling on parents to stop children accessing toxic online material over the summer holidays. The unprecedented warning comes as it emerged a growing number of kids, some as young as 12, are being radicalised and brainwashed into committing acts of terrorism. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The NCA's Alexander Murray also warned of online toxic masculinity as seen in Netflix hit Adolescence. Credit: Courtesy of Netflix. Around one in five people arrested for terrorist offences are aged under 18 and half of all referrals to the Government's Prevent anti-radicalisation programme are children. Appealing to parents yesterday, MI5 boss Sir Ken McCallum said: 'In a few clicks, young people can be speaking to terrorists online, consuming violent content. 'Terrorists are using slick propaganda to pull young people down a dangerous and potentially life-changing path.' He joined chiefs from the National Crime Agency and Counter Terrorism Policing to urge parents and carers to be vigilant about children's use of the internet. It was the first such warning ever issued and comes after heads of the 'Five Eyes' nations — the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada — last year called for action to combat the growing threat to kids posed by online extremism. Counter Terrorism Policing head Vicki Evans said: 'We encourage parents to activate parental controls on routers, devices and apps, and to start the conversation about online safety.' The NCA's Alexander Murray also warned of online toxic masculinity, as seen in Netflix hit Adolescence. He said: 'There is a fast-growing threat from sadistic and violent online gangs . . . including fraud, cyber, child sexual abuse, violence and extremism.' Stephen Graham and Ashley Walters' acclaimed drama Adolescence smashes huge Netflix record by DOUBLE after taking world by storm
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
MI5 boss warns terrorists will recruit children over school summer holidays after record numbers of teenagers are arrested
The head of MI5 has issued an unprecedented warning that terrorists are seeking to recruit children over the summer holidays after record arrests of teenagers. Sir Ken McCallum appealed to parents today warning online offenders will exploit the school break to draw children into criminal acts, saying just a 'few short clicks' can 'pull young people down a dangerous and potentially life-changing path'. The advisory issued for the first time jointly by MI5, Counter Terrorism Policing and the National Crime Agency comes after a record number of teenage arrests for terrorism offences. The Director General of MI5 said: 'In 2024 I said that 13 per cent of all those investigated by MI5 for involvement in terrorism were under 18. 'That deeply concerning presence of young people in our casework continues to this day. 'In a few short clicks, young people can be speaking to dangerous radicalising terrorists online, consuming violent and extremist content. 'Terrorists who understand online culture are using slick propaganda to pull young people down a dangerous and potentially life-changing path.' Of the 219 arrests for terrorism-related offences in 2023, a record 42 suspects were aged 17 or under. Last year there were 39 youngsters arrested aged 17 or under. Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) is increasingly seeing children being routinely exposed and completely desensitised to extreme and obscene content. Experts fear children will be viewing terrorism content, sexual violence, self-harm and suicide content, extreme gore, animal cruelty and indecent images of children during the summer holidays. CTP senior national coordinator for Prevent and pursue, Vicki Evans, said: 'Unfortunately, every year, we arrest children for terrorism offences, which tend to come about after they are led down the wrong path by extremists seeking to use the internet to target those whose age makes them vulnerable, or as a result of accessing harmful abhorrent content online. 'A significant proportion of their parents were unaware of their child's online activity - who they talked to, the content they viewed, and the sites and platforms they used. 'With the summer holidays now under way and children spending more time online, we're asking parents and carers to have conversations with the young people in their lives about what they are doing online and who they are speaking to. 'None of my colleagues started working in counter terrorism thinking they would be investigating and arresting children as young as 12 for terrorism offences. 'The online environment can be a sanctuary for children to socialise and form strong bonds but for all the benefits it brings, the internet has also globalised extremism. 'It has accelerated the spread of hateful ideologies internationally and made it possible for anyone with an internet connection to reach into the lives of children halfway round the world.' The Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matthew Ward said: 'We know parents care deeply about keeping their children safe online and given the ever-developing digital world it can feel like an uphill battle. 'We want parents to empower their children to know what to do if they come across inappropriate content online.' National Crime Agency Director of Threat Leadership Alexander Murray said: 'There is a fast-growing threat from sadistic and violent online gangs, made up predominantly of teenage boys, dedicated to inflicting harm and committing a range of criminality which includes fraud, cyber, child sexual abuse, violence and extremism/terror related offences. 'They are international and operate across multiple channels, including messaging apps, gaming platforms and other online forums. 'We are working closely with our partners in response to this complex threat, but we recommend that adults take time to understand the online lives of young people to help prevent them falling victim to these networks.'
Scottish Sun
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Iran poses ‘significant threat to Britain' with Tehran's spies targeting UK as a priority, report finds
Iranian intelligence services are 'willing and able' to try to assassinate targets in the UK, the report also found Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IRAN poses a significant threat to Britain with Tehran's spies targeting the UK as a priority, a new report has found. The Islamic Republic is capable of 'wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable' attacks on our country, according to the Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 A new report has found Iran poses a significant threat to Britain, with its spies targeting the UK as a priority Credit: EPA 3 Director General of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum has said Iran will go after anyone they see to be 'problematic for the regime' Credit: PA 3 Iran is also reportedly attempting to recruit junior people who don't currently have access to privileged information in Government but might one day Credit: EPA Assassination attempts are mainly directed at dissidents living on UK soil with the Director General of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum revealing that their operations are built around 'regime survival, dissidents and media organisations'. They will go after anyone they perceive as 'being problematic for the regime'. Potential targets listed in the report include Iranian dissidents, journalists, individuals convicted of terror offences in Iran, activists, former government employees, environmentalists, refugees, university students, and employees at international non-governmental organisations. British civil servants have had their personal email addresses targeted by Iranian cyber security attacks in an attempt to find out information about the UK government. Any calls made to and from Iran are believed to be intercepted by their security services to 'support espionage operations'. Sir Ken revealed that Iranians are attempting to recruit junior people who don't currently have access to privileged information in Government but might one day. He said: 'They are patient and up for trying to do … seeding type of operations where they cultivate people who might be a bit more naive, or early in their careers with a view to then becoming longer-term assets.' MI5 has also seen that Israeli or Jewish entities in the UK have been the target of potential attacks. Iranian intelligence services are 'willing and able' to try to assassinate targets in the UK, with at least 15 murder or kidnap attempts from the beginning of 2022 to August 2023. In May three alleged Iranian spies - two of which came to the UK on a small boat - were charged with targeting UK-based journalists so that "serious violence" could be inflicted on them. Iran claims it could assassinate Trump 'while he sunbathes at Mar-a-Lago' amid alert over terrorist sleeper cells in US Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, are thought to have targeted people working at Iran International, an independent media organisation based in London. The 246-page report by the Intelligence and Security Committee stopped taking evidence back in August 2023 - so does not consider the October 7 attacks by Hamas or any more recent threats to the UK by Iranian state actors. It has also found that Iran's nuclear weapons programme would 'pose a threat to UK nationals in the region and to the UK mainland' if it was allowed to grow. As of August 2023, the committee said that Iran had not yet developed a nuclear weapons programme or taken a decision to produce one. In June of this year Donald Trump launched a blitz on Iran's nuclear sites when he sent a dozen bunker buster bombs to target the mountain-fortress Fordow. UN's top nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has since warned that Iran could start enriching uranium again within months. Tehran admitted that the US and joint Israeli operations caused 'excessive and serious damage'. Iran is said to want to build a 'deep alliance' with Vladimir Putin's Russia despite a 'legacy of distrust and suspicion'. 'IRAN POSES AN UNPREDICTABLE THREAT TO THE UK' The Chairman of the ISC, The Rt Hon. the Lord Beamish PC, said: "Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK, UK nationals, and UK interests. 'Iran has a high appetite for risk when conducting offensive activity and its intelligence services are ferociously well-resourced with significant areas of asymmetric strength. 'It supplements this with its use of proxy groups - including criminal networks, militant and terrorist organisations, and private cyber actors - to provide it with a deniable means of attacking its adversaries with minimal risk of retaliation. 'As the Committee was told, Iran is there across the full spectrum of all the kinds of threats we have to be concerned with.' The report highlights that there has been a 'sharp increase' in the threat of physical attacks posed to dissidents and other opponents of the regime on UK soil. Iran has a 'willingness to use assassination as an instrument of state policy'. He added: 'We remain concerned that the Government's policy on Iran has suffered from a focus on crisis management and has been primarily driven by concerns over Iran's nuclear programme - to the exclusion of other issues. ''Fire-fighting' has prevented the Government from developing a real understanding of Iran, with a lack of Iran-specific expertise across Government. 'As with our previous Inquiries into China and Russia, governance structures are over-complicated - with the attendant risk of too much talking at the expense of action. The Government must move on: the national security threat from Iran requires a longer-term view, and resourcing must be consistent with that threat."
The Irish Sun
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Iran poses ‘significant threat to Britain' with Tehran's spies targeting UK as a priority, report finds
IRAN poses a significant threat to Britain with Tehran's spies targeting the UK as a priority, a new report has found. The Islamic Republic is capable of 'wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable' attacks on our country, according to the Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee. Advertisement 3 A new report has found Iran poses a significant threat to Britain, with its spies targeting the UK as a priority Credit: EPA 3 Director General of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum has said Iran will go after anyone they see to be 'problematic for the regime' Credit: PA 3 Iran is also reportedly attempting to recruit junior people who don't currently have access to privileged information in Government but might one day Credit: EPA Assassination attempts are mainly directed at dissidents living on UK soil with the Director General of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum revealing that their operations are built around 'regime survival, dissidents and media organisations'. They will go after anyone they perceive as 'being problematic for the regime'. Potential targets listed in the report include Iranian dissidents, journalists, individuals convicted of terror offences in Iran, activists, former government employees, environmentalists, refugees, university students, and employees at international non-governmental organisations. British civil servants have had their personal email addresses targeted by Iranian cyber security attacks in an attempt to find out information about the UK government. Advertisement Read More on UK News Any calls made to and from Iran are believed to be intercepted by their security services to 'support espionage operations'. Sir Ken revealed that Iranians are attempting to recruit junior people who don't currently have access to privileged information in Government but might one day. He said: 'They are patient and up for trying to do … seeding type of operations where they cultivate people who might be a bit more naive, or early in their careers with a view to then becoming longer-term assets.' MI5 has also seen that Israeli or Jewish entities in the UK have been the target of potential attacks. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive Iranian intelligence services are 'willing and able' to try to assassinate targets in the UK, with at least 15 murder or kidnap attempts from the beginning of 2022 to August 2023. In May three alleged Iranian spies - two of which came to the UK on a small boat - were charged with targeting UK-based journalists so that "serious violence" could be inflicted on them. Iran claims it could assassinate Trump 'while he sunbathes at Mar-a-Lago' amid alert over terrorist sleeper cells in US Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, are thought to have targeted people working at Iran International, an independent media organisation based in London. The 246-page report by the Intelligence and Security Committee stopped taking evidence back in August 2023 - so does not consider the October 7 attacks by Hamas or any more recent threats to the UK by Iranian state actors. Advertisement It has also found that Iran's nuclear weapons programme would 'pose a threat to UK nationals in the region and to the UK mainland' if it was allowed to grow. As of August 2023, the committee said that Iran had not yet developed a nuclear weapons programme or taken a decision to produce one. In June of this year Donald Trump launched a blitz on Iran's nuclear sites when he sent a dozen bunker buster bombs to target the mountain-fortress Fordow. UN's top nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has since warned that Iran could start enriching uranium again within months. Advertisement Tehran admitted that the US and joint Israeli operations caused 'excessive and serious damage'. Iran is said to want to build a 'deep alliance' with Vladimir Putin's Russia despite a 'legacy of distrust and suspicion'. 'IRAN POSES AN UNPREDICTABLE THREAT TO THE UK' The Chairman of the ISC, The Rt Hon. the Lord Beamish PC, said: "Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK, UK nationals, and UK interests. 'Iran has a high appetite for risk when conducting offensive activity and its intelligence services are ferociously well-resourced with significant areas of asymmetric strength. Advertisement 'It supplements this with its use of proxy groups - including criminal networks, militant and terrorist organisations, and private cyber actors - to provide it with a deniable means of attacking its adversaries with minimal risk of retaliation. 'As the Committee was told, Iran is there across the full spectrum of all the kinds of threats we have to be concerned with.' The report highlights that there has been a 'sharp increase' in the threat of physical attacks posed to dissidents and other opponents of the regime on UK soil. Iran has a 'willingness to use assassination as an instrument of state policy'. Advertisement He added: 'We remain concerned that the Government's policy on Iran has suffered from a focus on crisis management and has been primarily driven by concerns over Iran's nuclear programme - to the exclusion of other issues. ''Fire-fighting' has prevented the Government from developing a real understanding of Iran, with a lack of Iran-specific expertise across Government. 'As with our previous Inquiries into China and Russia, governance structures are over-complicated - with the attendant risk of too much talking at the expense of action. The Government must move on: the national security threat from Iran requires a longer-term view, and resourcing must be consistent with that threat." Advertisement
