The head of Britain’s MI5 spy agency, Ken McCallum, has issued a rare public statement warning that the next large-scale terror attack, potentially on the scale of 9/11, may already be in development and could be occurring in unexpected places. McCallum made the statement on the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, calling for increased cooperation between governments, businesses, academia, and the public.
"We know that the next strategic shock will, by definition, not resemble the last one," McCallum wrote in an editorial for The Independent newspaper. "We must of course always learn from the last attack – but must beware of preparing brilliantly to fight yesterday’s enemy, using yesterday’s methods, against yesterday’s target… The uncomfortable truth is that the next strategic shock may already be taking shape somewhere we are not yet looking."
McCallum highlighted that unlike in 2001, many security-sensitive systems and services are now operated by the private sector, necessitating a more collaborative approach to national security. He emphasized that national security should be viewed as a shared endeavor rather than solely the responsibility of intelligence agencies.
While acknowledging that groups like Al Qaeda have been significantly diminished, McCallum cautioned that they, along with other terror organizations aspiring to carry out mass casualty attacks, still pose a threat. He cited a recently thwarted Islamist plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester, England, as an example of ongoing terrorist ambitions.
In addition to terrorist threats, McCallum also pointed to the growing dangers posed by state-backed aggression. This includes sabotage carried out by proxy groups and cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure such as power stations. "Sadly, mass-casualty terrorist ambition endures… but the terrorist threat now sits alongside strategic national security threats posed by capable states," he stated.
McCallum’s remarks serve as a call to action, urging a comprehensive and collective approach to national security in the face of evolving threats.
