Latest news with #sabotage
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Britons urged to be vigilant to family at risk of hostile state manipulation
Britons are urged to watch for family members – including children – being manipulated by hostile foreign states, as counter-terror police warn of a surge in 'threat to life' operations. Petty criminals and disillusioned people are increasingly being used by Russia, China and Iran as proxies to carry out sabotage and surveillance and even arsons and kidnappings in the UK. There has been a fivefold increase in work to tackle hostile state activity since 2018 and 20% of counterterrorism policing's casework involves threats beyond traditional terrorism – primarily state-sponsored espionage, sabotage, and targeted violence, police say. Counter Terrorism Policing's senior national co-ordinator Vicki Evans said there have been 10 charges under the National Security Act since it came into force in December 2023. The head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, Dominic Murphy, told a briefing at New Scotland Yard: 'There has never been a time like now for the scale of the threat we see in state threats. 'I said in January 2024 this was about threats to our way of life more than it was about threats to life, but actually that's no longer an accurate description of the threat we face. 'We are increasingly seeing these three states, but not just these three states, undertaking threat to life operations in the United Kingdom alongside those threats to our way of life operations.' He added that those in their 'mid-teens' are the youngest who have been arrested or investigated on suspicion of being involved in such activities. Mr Murphy said that Russia has 'changed tactics' since the Salisbury poisonings in 2018 and are using more unorganised proxies, often reaching out to 'a disenfranchised group of people who are on the criminal fraternity' online. He mentioned the recent convictions of three men after an arson attack on a warehouse linked to Ukraine on behalf of the terrorist Wagner Group, as a 'real example' of how Russia is resorting to criminal proxies to carry out hostile activity. Mr Murphy said that ringleader Dylan Earl, 20, was approached online having been disillusioned with the UK and even offered to create a 'small army' to work on behalf of the Russian state. He told reporters that Iran projects a 'very real physical threat' to people in the UK, saying that officers are disrupting activity on a 'very regular basis'. Mr Murphy said that China is the 'smaller part' of the workload of officers, but that they are alive to threats such as possible secret police stations seeking to influence local communities, as has been seen in New York, and bounties for Hong Kong dissidents. Ms Evans said that criminal proxies are becoming a 'prevalent' tactic and often involve small amounts of money for people tasked to do 'unwittingly significant actions' on behalf of hostile states. She told of concern that young people, who may not be ideologically aligned to the views of a hostile state, are being encouraged online to carry out activities without knowing the implications. The officer added: 'We really encourage people, parents, teachers, professionals, just to be inquisitive. 'If they're concerned, ask those questions, and if they think there's something they need to be concerned about, seek help and act, because we want to make sure that we're protecting people from inadvertently being drawn in this sort of activity.' She went on: '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.'
Telegraph
a day ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Russia and Iran ‘trying to recruit British schoolchildren for espionage'
Hostile states are trying to recruit British schoolchildren to carry out acts of surveillance and sabotage in the UK, the head of counter-terror policing has warned. Detectives have identified several plots in which teenagers were allegedly recruited as criminal proxies by agents acting for Russia and Iran. At least one person in their mid-teens has been arrested and others have been investigated in recent months, according to Dominic Murphy, the head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command. The success of Britain's counter-intelligence work since the Salisbury Novichok attacks of 2018 has meant hostile states have increasingly been turning to criminal proxies to conduct their activities in the UK, it is believed. Earlier this month, five British men were convicted of carrying out an arson attack on behalf of the Russian Wagner terrorist group on a warehouse in east London with links to Ukraine. It later emerged that Dylan Earl, the ringleader, had been recruited online and had been offered money to carry out the attack. Counter-terrorism police have warned that young people, including school-age children and those who are feeling disillusioned, are particularly vulnerable to online recruitment and manipulation. Officers have urged parents and teachers to show the same sort of vigilance needed to prevent youngsters from becoming radicalised by extremists. Vicki Evans, counter-terrorism policing's senior national co-ordinator said: 'Our primary concern isn't that these other people are ideologically aligned to the views of state threats and people tasking that activity. 'But we are concerned that they might find themselves in an online environment where they are encouraged or egged on to do something and don't understand what they are being asked to do. 'Or they are offered some money and see it as a quick and easy way to get some money, not realising the consequences. Or they might be looking for the sort of notoriety in an environment where somebody is encouraging them and challenging them to do things.' She urged parents, teachers and other professionals to be 'inquisitive' and ask questions in order to avoid youngsters being 'inadvertently drawn into this sort of activity'. Ms Evans added: ' 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.' Ms Evans said criminal proxies were 'disposable' to those tasking them and were often not even paid for carrying out activities that could lead to them being sent to prison for many years. She added: 'The reality is people are being targeted to conduct this work. They are then disposable to the individuals tasking them once they've been caught, and it will be the individual conducting the act who will be caught, and the handlers or the taskers will not come to their rescue or support them in any way. 'We are looking to raise awareness about this and make a direct appeal to people to think about what they might be being asked to do in these environments, who their tasking might be from, and what that could mean to them.' Mr Murphy said there had been a fivefold increase in work to tackle hostile state activity since 2018, and that a fifth of counter-terrorism policing's casework involved threats beyond traditional terrorism – primarily state-sponsored espionage, sabotage and targeted violence.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
South Africa's Ramaphosa Suspends Police Minister
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa suspended the nation's police minister, Senzo Mchunu, who's been accused of sabotaging a probe into political killings. Ramaphosa also announced a commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations. The suspended police minister is a key ally of Ramaphosa. Bloomberg's Khuleko Siwele reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
NHK
3 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Ukraine says it killed Russian agents linked to murder of official in Kyiv
The Security Service of Ukraine says it has killed the agents working for Russia who carried out the murder of a senior official of the organization last week. Ukrainian authorities had been investigating the murder, which took place on Thursday in the capital Kyiv. The official belonged to the Security Services' section involved in drone assaults and sabotage operations against Russia. The head of the service, Vasyl Maliuk, issued a statement on Sunday revealing that his organization had eliminated agents of Russia's Federal Security Service who it believes were behind the murder. The statement said the investigators tried to detain the agents at their hideout, but killed them in a shootout when they resisted arrest. The security service said two agents, a man and a woman, were thought to be involved in the killing of the Ukrainian officer. But they did not say how many agents were killed during the operation. Multiple media reports say that the department of the Ukrainian security service to which the murdered officer belonged played a main role in a cross-border attack by Ukrainian forces into Russia's western Kursk region last summer. In April, Russian security authorities announced the detention of a Ukrainian agent on suspicion of involvement in the car explosion in a Moscow suburb that killed a senior Russian military officer.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
UK is ‘number 1 target for Russian cyberattacks' as Vlad wreaks revenge for Ukraine backing and avoids offending Trump
THE UK has become the "number 1 target for Russian cyberattacks" as Vladimir Putin seeks revenge on Ukraine-backing enemies. Millions of Brits could be plunged into darkness as the mad zealot concentrates his sabotage on British infrastructure in a bid to avoid offending Trump. 5 5 5 It's believed Trump's friendlier stance towards the raging despot has pivoted his attention away from American targets, concentrating his efforts on the UK instead. The UK has seen a significant hike in the number of Russian cyberattacks since the start of the year, according to government sources. An official told The Times: 'It's been really evident from Russia's recent propaganda that we're target No 1. 'If only the British state was as powerful as they claim.' UK spy chiefs confirmed that Vlad's objective is to create "mayhem on British" and European streets – targeting key infrastructure and attempting to cause havoc with the economy. Last year, minister Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, warned Britain and its allies "not underestimate" the threat posed by Russia in its "hidden war". and "won't think twice" about attacking British businesses, he said. He warned an attack of this kind could turn the lights off for millions of people by shutting down power grids. The cyber attack plans would be an attempt to dilute support for Ukraine from allied states, he added. He slammed the Kremlin as "exceptionally" aggressive and "reckless" in this area, adding that a number of attacks had already been foiled both publicly and behind the scenes. According to Richard Horne, the head of GCHQ's national Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) the UK is dangerously unprepared for this surge in cyber attacks. Speaking at the launch of the NCSC annual review last year, which lay bare the alarming rise in cyber threats facing the UK, he urged UK leaders to increase the pace they're working at to "keep ahead" of Putin. Putin warns Trump he 'will have to respond' to Ukraine's daring drone attack in hour-long phone call with president He said that the NCSC received 1,957 reports of cyber attacks in 2024, 430 of which needed support from the centre's incident management team - up from 371 the previous year. Of these incidents, 89 were nationally significant. PREPARING FOR WAR Just a couple of months ago, reports emerged of government officials racing to update decades-old contingency plans to protect the country and prepare for any potential combat. The classified "home defence plan" would lay out how Downing Street will respond if Vladimir Putin declares war on the UK, including moving the Royal Family into bunkers. Ministers worry Britain could be outfought by Russia on the battlefield, but also poorly defended at home as things stand. Experts have warned that the country's national infrastructure is vulnerable ahead of the release of Labour's Strategic Defence Review - an examination of the Armed Forces. Even before then, he proved he was willing to attack this country, including with a nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018. We should take him seriously Former Nato commander Colonel Hamish De Bretton-Gordon As military warfare has evolved in the past two decades, fears are that Putin could launch a combination of attacks, including conventional ballistic missile strikes, sabotage and the latest tactic in the Russian playbook - cyber warfare. But Britain - which is just beginning to review and revise its security and contingency plans for the first time in more than 20 years - is feared to not be fully prepared to go to war against the Russians. Former Nato commander Colonel Hamish De Bretton-Gordon told The Sun: "Britain is very much in the sights of Putin's derision, and we are the ones likely to be attacked first. "Britain really has got to dust off its contingency plans. Over 20 years of neglect, and we understand that's exactly what this report is about at the moment." 5 5 Retired military officer Colonel Richard Kemp, who was working in the Cabinet Office when the contingency plans were last updated, told The Sun: "Contingency plans like this should be updated frequently. Twenty years is far too long, especially given the radically changed threat picture. "Putin has said Britain is in his crosshairs since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "Even before then, he proved he was willing to attack this country, including with a nerve agent attack in Salisbury in 2018. We should take him seriously." The classified plan by the Cabinet Office's Resilience Directorate - which was last updated in 2005 - would set out war strategies in the event of a catastrophic attack by the Russians, which could well involve tactical and strategic nuclear weapons. The plan is based on the War Book, a Cold War dossier of instructions for government response to nuclear attacks. Under such plans, Britain could be divided into 12 zones, each governed by Cabinet ministers, and food rationed. The plans will include scenarios like widespread sabotage and crippling cyber warfare, which were seen as a limited threat back when the document was last updated. It will also direct the PM on how to run a wartime government, as well as strategies for travel networks, courts and the postal system, reports the Daily Telegraph. Although the highly-classified document is expected to never be revealed in the public domain, military experts suggest what could be changed to prepare us for a potential war against the Russians. Colonel Bretton-Gordon said that cyber attacks will be given a major chunk of attention in the latest round of updates. He believes the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) would be given additional funding to improve the existing measures against cyber attackers.
