Denmark/Immigration Issue – Bar owners in the Nørrebro suburb of Copenhagen say they are being harassed by Muslim youth activists in the area, many of them immigrants, who are trying to impose a “Sharia zone” in the neighbourhood. The bar owners have asked for government help it was reported on the 13 May 16. The bar owners say they have received demands for money, and that stones have been thrown through the bars’ windows. “Recently some young men came into the bar and shouted that all guests should leave,” Heidi Dyrnesli from Cafe Heimdal old Radio24syv. “They shouted that the site belongs to them and that Norrebro is a Sharia zone, so there is no drinking alcohol.” RT reports that the bar owners charge that so far, the local police have failed to intervene, and that this is why they were calling on the government to take action. Minister for Integration Inger Stoejberg to visit the neighbourhood. Denmark’s BT tabloid reported that Stoejberg spoke with local youths. Muslim community leaders accused her of coming to the neighbourhood in an effort to gain support for the government’s anti-immigration policies. Stoejberg replied that the community leaders should have helped to tackle the youths: “There is a group of young people here who do not behave properly, and we have powerless tavern owners. If you are resourceful, I think you should help with that and can help solve the problem so people in Nørrebro can live a normal life.” Two young Muslim women were detained by police after shouting “fascist” and “Nazi” at the minister. Danish laws ban insults against public officials, so the two women are facing fines or short prison terms. Stoejberg used her Facebook page to addressed the youths: “You live, and live in the greatest country in the world. Opportunities are right in front of you. So stop your rampage, threats and yelling!” Stoejberg wrote on Facebook. “No I can guarantee you that it is not [a Sharia zone] and will never be! And you’re kinda pretty lucky that this is not a Sharia zone, as you get a fair trial when the police get a hold of you.” The anti-immigrant Danish People’s Party emerged from last year’s elections as the second-largest in Denmark, and used its position in the coalition to introduce several anti-immigrant measures. Stoejberg is a member of the governing centre-right Venstre party.
France – Anti-Muslim acts in France tripled in 2015, with peaks in activity coming after two sets of deadly terror attacks, a government advisory commission said on the 2 May 16. A total of 429 anti-Muslim threats or hate crimes were reported last year, up from 133 in 2014, according to a report from France’s National Human Rights Commission (CNCDH). Two “peaks” in abuse came after jihadists attacked satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Jan 15 and a subsequent assault in November that killed 130 people in Paris, said CNCDH president Christine Lazerges. Overall, complaints of hate threats or crimes saw a “consequential increase” of just over 22 percent to 2,034 in 2015, the commission noted in its annual report on the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. However, anti-Semitic hate acts fell in 2015 to 808, a five percent drop over the previous year. “Several gauges indicate an ebb in the anti-Semitism that marked France in 2015,” said the commission, referring to the terror attack on a Paris Jewish supermarket in Jan 15 that killed four people. “It is as if the violence against Jews prompted compassion and solidarity with them in public opinion,” it noted. Still Lazerges pointed out that the results include only reported crimes and that the true rates are much higher. “Day-to-day racism is much more subtle,” she said. Though the number of acts of hate against Jews fell in 2015 in France, they were still the target of about 40 percent of the nation's total. In 2014 Jews were subject to 51 percent of France's reported acts of hate. France’s overall Jewish community is estimated at between 500,000 and 600,000 people, the largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world.
France/Da’esh – An ISIS cell in France threatened new rocket attacks on passenger jets and a new Charlie Hebdo-style massacre in chilling undercover video filmed by a journalist who infiltrated the group it was reported on the 2 May 16. The journalist, a Muslim using the pseudonym Said Ramzi, also received instructions to 'shoot until death' in a nightclub slaughter and set off an explosive vest if security turn up. After an initial meeting in Chateauroux, a town in the centre-west of France, the would-be jihadists warned of devastating attacks that would 'traumatise the country for a century'. The journalist, whose documentary 'Allah's Soldiers' airs in France on the 2 May was promised a place in paradise with 'a winged horse of gold and rubies'. He used a hidden camera as the cell plotted an attack in the name of ISIS, before they were arrested. Ramzi describes himself as a Muslim 'of the same generation as the killers' who carried out the 13 Nov 15 terror attacks which left 130 people dead in Paris. To make contact with the group, Ramzi said the first steps were easy, following and interacting with those preaching jihad on Facebook. Then, he had to meet the person presented as the 'emir' of the group of about a dozen youths, some of them born into Muslim families, and the others converts. This took place in Chateauroux at an outdoor activities centre that was deserted in winter. The 'emir' was a young French-Turkish citizen named Oussama, and on their first meeting he tries to convince the journalist he knows as Abu Hamza, that paradise awaits him if he carries out a suicide mission. 'Towards paradise, that is the path,' Oussama says, a chilling smile on his face. 'Come, brother, let's go to paradise, our women are waiting for us there, with angels as servants. 'You will have a palace, a winged horse of gold and rubies.' During another meeting in front of a mosque in the Paris suburb of Stains, a member of the group points to an airplane approaching the nearby Bourget airport. 'With a little rocket-launcher, you can easily get one of them... you do something like that in the name of Dawla (Islamic State), and France will be traumatised for a century.' Some of the gang, like Oussama, try and reach the Islamic State group in Syria. He was arrested by Turkish police and handed back to France where he spent five months in jail before being released. While he had to show his face at the local police station once a day under his release conditions, he stayed in touch with the group via encrypted messaging application Telegram to organise meetings at which plans to launch an attack took form. 'We must hit a military base,' says Oussama. 'When they are eating, they are all lined up ... ta-ta-ta-ta-ta,' he added, mimicking the sound of automatic gunfire. 'Or journalists, BFM, iTele, they are at war against Islam,' he says of the prominent French television stations. 'Like they did to Charlie. You must strike them at the heart. Take them by surprise. What do you want them to do? They aren't well protected. The French must die by the thousands.' In January 2015 two brothers attacked the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people. Things accelerate when a certain Abu Suleiman returns from Raqqa, the Islamic State group's capital in Syria and tells the journalist to meet him at a train station. Once there, it is not Suleiman - who the journalist never meets - but a woman in a full-faced niqab veil who shows up and hands Ramzi a letter. The message lays out a plan of attack: target a night club, shoot 'until death', wait for security forces and set off an explosives vest. However the security noose tightens around the group at this point, and several members of the group are arrested. One of them who avoided arrest sends a message to the journalist saying: 'You're done for man'. 'That is where my infiltration ended,' said Ramzi. He said that his goal was to 'understand what was going on inside their heads.' He added: 'One of the main lessons was that I never saw any Islam in this affair. No will to improve the world. Only lost, frustrated, suicidal, easily manipulated youths. 'They had the misfortune of being born in the era that the Islamic State exists. It is very sad. They are youngsters who are looking for something and that is what they found.'
Germany – The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has advocated broader security powers in the face of the imminent IS threat and rise of the radical right. He called for a “coalition against extremism” in Germany to be created with moderate Muslims at its core. Speaking at the security symposium in Berlin on the 2 May 16 the head of Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Hans-Georg Maassen warned of the “worsening security situation in Germany,” adding that the country’s political climate is “a lot rougher” now than it had been before due to the radicalization of previously non-partisan Germans and the activity of Islamist groups operating in Germany. “For the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution it is clear: Islamic State wants to launch attacks against Germany and the German interests,” said Maassen, as cited by Bild, stressing that the agency receives at least four tip-offs on possible jihadi attacks in Germany on daily basis. Maassen pointed out that the threat posed by Islamists in Europe should not be underestimated as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) "has established command structure and cells in Europe, which are planning attacks and carry them out.” Out of some 800 German jihadists estimated to have join IS ranks in Syria, about 260 trained militants have returned back to Germany and pose an immense security challenge, according to the agency’s data. Maassen admitted that some jihadi fighters have been infiltrating Europe via migrant routes as it was in the case with four suspected IS fighters arrested in the refugee shelter in the Austrian city of Salzburg in Dec 15 and two of the Paris attackers who had come to Europe via the Balkans. However, he added that focusing on the fact that extremists are using migrant routes is sending a “political signal,” discrediting refugees, Spiegel reported. Meanwhile, IS has other ways on infiltrating Europe, including from within, Maassen said. “We perceive extremists as political or religious extremists. Of course, we look at the IS. What we don’t look at, is the Muslims in Germany. I warn against mixing religious extremists with Muslims in one pot,” he said, as cited by Tagesschau, adding that to create a viable national coalition against extremism, the Muslim’s community participation is essential. “For that we also need Muslims in Germany, the moderates, which will together with us, fight extremism on the basis of our constitutional order,” he stressed, countering the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party stance, which slammed Islam as incompatible with the country’s constitution in its recently published party manifesto. Addressing the threat posed by the right-wing extremism, which has been gaining momentum in Germany with refugee-oriented violence becoming a part of daily life, Maasen argued that the majority of those participating in anti-migrant rallies in effect have been radicalized only recently and have not pledged allegiance to any right-wing political party before. It constitutes a “trend, in which the people, who might have not been interested in politics before or were voting for the conventional parties, are being radicalized,” he claimed, as quoted by Spiegel. In order to tackle all these challenges Maasen has called for closer cooperation and the enhanced exchange of information between security services at both national and international levels and demanded expansion of intelligence services’ power enabling them to cope with the threat, including introduction of electronic tagging. “If the security situation deteriorates, it requires a corresponding readjustment,” he said, while criticizing the recent ruling by Germany’s highest court which had revoked some key elements of anti-terror law by putting restrictions on the practice. “[Parts of the law] lack supplementary rule-of-law safeguards, particularly safeguards protecting the core area of private life or guaranteeing transparency, individual legal protection and judicial review,” the court said in its statement, as cited by DW.
Germany – The German federal police agency, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), said it is investigating the possible arrival of forty Islamist militants among more than 1.1 million refugees who have entered the country during since the beginning of 2015 it was reported on the 12 May 16. The BKA said it had received 369 reports of possible extremists and found that forty of the cases required more investigation. This is an increase relative to numbers the BKA released in Jan 16 when eighteen investigations were found to be warranted after 213 warnings had been received. “German security officials have indications that members and supporters of terrorist organizations are being smuggled in with refugees in a targeted, organized way in order to launch attacks in Germany,” a spokesperson for the BKA said. “More attacks by Islamist terror cells cannot be ruled out.” The Globe and Mail reports that several of the terrorists who carried out the November 2015 Paris had passed through Germany on their return from Syria, travelling on fake documents. French investigators say that two more jihadists were supposed to join the terrorists but were prevented from reaching Paris after being detained for questioning at a refugee centre in Austria. Salah Abdeslam, who is now in French custody, picked up one of terrorists in the southern German city of Ulm in Oct 15. He drove to Ulm with Osama Krayem, who faces charges in Brussels for his involvement in both the Paris and Brussels attacks. Several suspected Islamists have been arrested in Germany since the Paris and Brussels attacks. Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV), said ISIS was attempting to “send a political signal” by using the refugee route to stoke fears and mistrust in Europe. “I am not telling you a secret when I say that I am concerned about the high number of migrants whose identities we don’t know because they had no papers when they entered the country,” he said. The number of refugees entering Germany peaked at more than 10,000 a day last autumn, but has since dwindled to a trickle as a result of the closing of the Greek border with Macedonia and a deal between the EU and Turkey. Some 800 Germans are believed to have joined ISIS as foreign fighters.
Spain – The Interior Ministry said police have arrested four people in the Madrid area suspected of spreading pro-jihad propaganda and recruiting followers it was reported on the 3 May 16. A ministry statement said Civil Guard police today arrested two Moroccans in the town of Pinto and one Moroccan and a Spaniard in the town of Ciempozuelos, south of the Spanish capital. The statement said the four formed part of an organised group that worked intensely to spread extremist material on the Internet. It said the group made contact with hundreds of people and then selected some to be radicalised and indoctrinated. Spanish police have arrested dozens of suspected pro-jihad activists and recruiters in recent years.
Sweden/Bosnia – Six people have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling weapons to radical Islamists in Sweden, the Local reported, citing Bosnian Serb authorities. Five of the suspected weapons smugglers were seized in the towns Gradiska and Laktasi in Republika Srpska, its Interior Ministry said on the 13 May 16. Another person had previously been arrested in Sweden, while another two remained at large, officials said. Large quantities of weapons were found during police raids, which were carried out as part of a Swedish-run operation, according to media reports, which were not immediately confirmed by Swedish authorities.
Switzerland – Switzerland’s intelligence service has been keeping an eye on the social media activity of around 400 people potentially linked to jihadists who could pose a threat to national security, Swiss authorities reported on the 2 May 16. Although Switzerland is less likely to be targeted by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) or other militant groups since it is not engaged in any military operations against them, its government still stepped up security measures to counter possible attacks, especially in the wake of deadly terror acts carried out in neighbouring France and Belgium, the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) annual report said. The document features a photo of a Swiss passport and an explosive belt along with a hashtag “#homesweethome” posted on Twitter by a suspected jihadist who had supposedly travelled to the Middle East. The NDB has also come into possession of an IS video showing the Swiss flag among 60 others that belong to the countries regarded as targets. “Attacks in Switzerland are more to be expected from lone wolves or small groups that would be conducted with simple means, little preparation and minimal logistical effort,” the report states. Possible jihadists have been closely watched by the security services upon their arrival from Middle Eastern countries, particularly Syria, where they could have undergone training in special camps. The current level of threat to the country’s security has been described as “high” by NDB’s chief Markus Seiler, who spoke to journalists in Bern on the 2 May 16 local media reported. Switzerland still has up to 60 active proceedings against individuals allegedly linked to jihadists, according to information made public on the 2 May 16. Last month a Swiss court sentenced three migrants from Iraq to prison on the ground of terrorism offenses. It is hoped that the verdict will deter other possible attackers and demonstrate that Switzerland is not an easy target. The three Iraqis were arrested in 2014 on the suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack and assisting Islamic State militants with entering the country.
United Kingdom/Da’esh – A navy officer who trained at one of Britain’s most prestigious maritime colleges has fled to Syria to join the Islamic State terror group it was reported on the 7 May 16. Defence experts warned that 28-year-old Ali Alosaimi’s high-level skills and exhaustive knowledge of the nation’s shipping fleet represented a terrifying security threat. Having already targeted passenger jets, there has long been concern that militants will try to bring terror to the seas by attacking ships and ferries. ‘This suddenly raises the spectre of IS damaging shipping,’ said former Royal Navy chief Admiral Lord West. ‘Someone with his knowledge opens up a whole new area where terrorism can take place.’ Kuwaiti-born Alosaimi’s personal details were found among a cache of IS documents leaked to a British newspaper. They reveal that before leaving for Syria, Alosaimi lived in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, where he enrolled on a three-year Merchant Navy officer course in 2011. He had previously worked for a state-owned oil tanker company in Kuwait. If he had pursued his naval career after gaining a Higher National Diploma in nautical science, he could have had access to vessels under charter to the Ministry of Defence. These are used to transport military supplies and other cargoes vital to national security. Alosaimi studied at South Tyneside College’s Marine School, sharing a flat nearby with a Kuwati friend. The college declined to comment last night, but part of his course, specifically for deck officers, involved serving on a ship, and he acquired an extensive insight into the UK’s maritime capability that would be invaluable to his future IS commanders. Deck officers are responsible for the safety of the vessel, planning the ship’s passage, loading and discharging cargo, and all communications. Gavin Simmonds, director of security at the UK Chamber of Shipping, said: ‘An individual with three years’ experience in this area with the Merchant Navy would be of use to a terror organisation intent upon targeting shipping. The idea of an insider with such knowledge joining the crew of, say, an oil tanker is unnerving. ‘There is a significant environmental risk should there be such a spectacular attempt by terrorists, and this is profoundly worrying. However, we must balance concerns against the ability of an individual to cause such an incident.’ Lord West added: ‘I think the most danger is posed by IS acquiring a Liquid Natural Gas container. These are highly flammable and could cause a very large explosion. Britain and the US have been worried about this for some time.’ The Merchant Navy, which now comprises about 1,500 vessels and 30,000 seamen, performed a key role during the Second World War and Falklands conflict. Last night, Alosaimi’s former housemate in South Shields said that he was radicalised by watching videos of killings in Syria committed by President Bashar Assad’s troops. The friend, who does not want to be identified, said: ‘He went to Syria because he was angry about Assad. All Muslims are angry, but Ali acted on it. In this day and age, you don’t need people to radicalise you. The internet is enough.’ He added that Alosaimi finished his HND course, but was two exams away from obtaining his marine licence, which would have allowed him to captain any ship. Alosaimi’s family in Kuwait said he became radicalised in the final year of his course. He grew a beard and began preaching to teenage relatives, urging them to join IS. Until then, they insisted, he was a typical student who ‘danced, smoked and had girlfriends’. According to his uncle, it was the death of Alosaimi’s younger brother, Abdullah, killed while fighting with fanatics in Syria aged 19, that was the turning point. The uncle, also called Ali, said: ‘He seemed a changed man after his brother’s death.
United Kingdom/Northern Ireland – The threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Great Britain has gone up from moderate to substantial it was reported on the 11 May 16. It means an attack in England, Scotland or Wales is "a strong possibility". Home Secretary Theresa May said the level, set by security service MI5, "reflects the continuing threat from dissident republican activity". The level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Northern Ireland remains severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely". Despite the increase in the threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Great Britain, it remains lower than the threat to the entire UK from international terrorism. This is set at severe - the second-highest of the five ratings used. A source said it had been 15 years since the last Northern Ireland-related attack in Great Britain, but there was now a "real fear" in the security services that deadly tactics of the past would be used again. But he said the "far bigger" threat to Great Britain came from the Islamic State group and its supporters. Mrs May confirmed the change of threat level relating to Great Britain - meaning three of the four countries of the UK - in a written statement to Parliament. She gave no further details of any intelligence that had led to the level being changed. "As a result of this change, we are working closely with the police and other relevant authorities to ensure appropriate security measures are in place," she wrote. In a separate statement, Mrs May said dissident republicans "command little support", and the "vast majority" of people wanted peace. She said it was "sensible" for the public in Great Britain to be vigilant, but said the threat level should "not affect how we go about our daily lives". Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson is seeking an urgent Privy Council briefing to discuss the new security assessment. "It is evident that dissident republicans are now active in Great Britain and are examining potential targets. Obviously that's a matter of concern," he said. "We had no prior indication that the threat level had been increasing. In Northern Ireland, the threat has been severe for some time but quite clearly this is a new development in terms of dissident republican activity." Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said the change in threat level was "about increasing awareness and encouraging vigilance". At Easter the New IRA, the group responsible for the murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay in Mar 16 warned that its members were "determined to take the war to the age-old enemy of our nation". Police have said the killing of Michael McGibbon in north Belfast in Apr 16 carried the hallmarks of a paramilitary murder. The threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Great Britain was raised from moderate to substantial in 2010, then reduced back to moderate in 2012. The top threat level is critical, which means an attack is "expected imminently". The escalation of the level of threat dissident republicans pose to potential targets in Great Britain means that the security service MI5 believes their capacity and capability has grown significantly. The move follows years of briefings by the police and security sources which said that while dissidents had a high level of intent to mount attacks outside Northern Ireland, they lacked the capacity or capability to do so. That has now changed. The Police Service of Northern Ireland warned earlier this year that dissidents have shown a range of capabilities over the past 18 months which they described as deeply concerning. These include the use of homemade bombs, referred to by the police as Improvised Explosive Devices, improvised rocket launchers, close quarter shootings, and under vehicle bombs.
United Kingdom/Northern Ireland – The number of bombing incidents across the province of Northern Ireland increased by 44% over the past year, confirming concerns that paramilitary groups have stepped up their terror campaign with the use of explosives it was reported on the 13 May 16. In the past 12 months there were 52 bomb compared to 36 incidents in 2014/15, according to new PSNI statistics. These incidents include devices which exploded or were defused. The revelations come a day after Home Secretary Theresa May, on the advice of MI5, raised the official threat level to Britain from Northern Ireland-related terrorism to 'substantial'. The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file PSNI members, warned that the rising violent crime rate and persistent terrorist threat were putting an extreme burden on officers. "These figures come as no surprise given the pressure on resources and the fact that we are heavily under-strength," said Federation chairman Mark Lindsay. "Grappling with rising violent crime rates and a continuing and persistent dissident republican terrorist threat are placing an inordinate strain on officers. "There's only so much 6,500 officers are physically capable of doing. Right now they're stretched to the limit, and there's a very real danger we're close to a tipping point." Mr Lindsay said that given the warning from MI5 this week about the threat level, "there is an undeniable case for an immediate recruitment drive to bring the force up to a resilient and realistic total of 7,500". "We need the Government to make a forceful statement on officer levels. We're currently 600 below the minimum peacetime number recommended by Patten ... we have to prevent the migration of dissident republican activity to the mainland, and to do that we need more officers on the ground," he added. SDLP MP Margaret Ritchie said: "There is a need to ensure the police have resources to ensure people can live in peace and harmony. These statistics are concerning. "This type of terror campaign should not still be happening. Those behind these attacks need to get off people's backs." Terrorist bombing incidents over the past 12 months included the murder of Mr Ismay, the discovery of a bomb at a Londonderry hotel ahead of a police recruitment event, a bid to kill police with a mortar bomb in Strabane, and the discovery of a car bomb under an officer's car in Eglinton. Over the past year there were also 36 paramilitary shootings. Two people were shot dead by dissident republicans in Belfast in recent weeks. On the night of the 9 May 16 takeaway delivery driver Dan Murray was murdered after being lured into a part of west Belfast by a bogus call in what was a third shooting in 24 hours. Last month taxi driver Michael McGibbon was killed in an alleyway shooting close to his north Belfast home. However, despite concern over terrorist gun attacks, the number of shooting incidents in the past year was 51% less than in 2014/15, when there were 73. One officer said: "We have more bombing incidents, dissident republicans are running around shooting people dead in Belfast, scores of people in the city living under death threats, violent crime is on the up, and yet they keep taking our resources off us. It's becoming more and more difficult to keep people safe." Another officer warned: "The pressure we are under is immense. Several potentially deadly attacks have been stopped, but unfortunately it's only a matter of time before someone else is killed."
United Kingdom/Northern Ireland – The threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Great Britain has gone up from moderate to substantial it was reported on the 11 May 16. It means an attack in England, Scotland or Wales is "a strong possibility". Home Secretary Theresa May said the level, set by security service MI5, "reflects the continuing threat from dissident republican activity". The level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Northern Ireland remains severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely". Despite the increase in the threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Great Britain, it remains lower than the threat to the entire UK from international terrorism. This is set at severe - the second-highest of the five ratings used. A source said it had been 15 years since the last Northern Ireland-related attack in Great Britain, but there was now a "real fear" in the security services that deadly tactics of the past would be used again. But he said the "far bigger" threat to Great Britain came from the Islamic State group and its supporters. Mrs May confirmed the change of threat level relating to Great Britain - meaning three of the four countries of the UK - in a written statement to Parliament. She gave no further details of any intelligence that had led to the level being changed. "As a result of this change, we are working closely with the police and other relevant authorities to ensure appropriate security measures are in place," she wrote. In a separate statement, Mrs May said dissident republicans "command little support", and the "vast majority" of people wanted peace. She said it was "sensible" for the public in Great Britain to be vigilant, but said the threat level should "not affect how we go about our daily lives". Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson is seeking an urgent Privy Council briefing to discuss the new security assessment. "It is evident that dissident republicans are now active in Great Britain and are examining potential targets. Obviously that's a matter of concern," he said. "We had no prior indication that the threat level had been increasing. In Northern Ireland, the threat has been severe for some time but quite clearly this is a new development in terms of dissident republican activity." Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said the change in threat level was "about increasing awareness and encouraging vigilance". At Easter the New IRA, the group responsible for the murder of prison officer Adrian Ismay in Mar 16 warned that its members were "determined to take the war to the age-old enemy of our nation". Police have said the killing of Michael McGibbon in north Belfast in Apr 16 carried the hallmarks of a paramilitary murder. The threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism in Great Britain was raised from moderate to substantial in 2010, then reduced back to moderate in 2012. The top threat level is critical, which means an attack is "expected imminently". The escalation of the level of threat dissident republicans pose to potential targets in Great Britain means that the security service MI5 believes their capacity and capability has grown significantly. The move follows years of briefings by the police and security sources which said that while dissidents had a high level of intent to mount attacks outside Northern Ireland, they lacked the capacity or capability to do so. That has now changed. The Police Service of Northern Ireland warned earlier this year that dissidents have shown a range of capabilities over the past 18 months which they described as deeply concerning. These include the use of homemade bombs, referred to by the police as Improvised Explosive Devices, improvised rocket launchers, close quarter shootings, and under vehicle bombs.