Michael Evans, Defence Editor, and Philip Webster, Political Editor
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Read the MI5 chief's speech in full
Teenagers as young as 15 are being recruited by terrorist groups in Britain, swelling the number of people suspected of being involved in terrorism to 4,000, the head of MI5 said yesterday.
In his first public speech since taking over as Director-General of MI5 in April, Jonathan Evans indicated that the number of terrorist suspects has more than doubled in the past year.
Mr Evans painted an alarming picture of youngsters being turned into extremists, saying: “Terrorists are methodically and intentionally targeting young people and children in this country.
“They are radicalising, indoctrinating and grooming young, vulnerable people to carry out acts of terrorism.”
In an address to the Society of Editors in Manchester, he said: “This year, we have seen individuals as young as 15 and 16 implicated in terrorist-related activity.”
Mr Evans, who has spent most of his career in MI5 in counter-terrorism, said there remained “a steady flow of new recruits to the extremist cause”.
In a speech in October last year, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, his predecessor, said there were 1,600 people on MI5’s books who needed watching.
However, Mr Evans said the figure of known suspects had jumped to “at least 2,000”, but he admitted: “We suspect that there are as many again that we don’t yet know of.” Police sources said yesterday that they were watching 500 people who were involved in at least 80 separate terrorist plots.
Speaking with the approval of Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, Mr Evans outlined the pressures facing his service on the eve of the Queen’s Speech to Parliament today in which she will announce a counter-terrorism Bill, one of the aims of which will be to extend the time granted to the police to hold terror suspects from 28 to 56 days.
Gordon Brown will confirm as the new session of Parliament gets under way that he believes there is a case for having a higher limit to deal with some cases, although he is unlikely to put a figure on the timescale. But proposals to double the limit to 56 days are favoured by ministers.
Juveniles can be detained in much the same way as adults under the Terrorism Act. There is provision to hold them at the high-security Paddington Green police station but they have to be held in a detention room rather than a cell and must have access to an “appropriate adult” as well as to a solicitor.
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I am with 'Eddie'. Is the new chap not suggesting that we could well see the Tiber foaming with blood'/ One just despairs at the 'politically correct' suppression of straight-talking and common-sense.
Dr j Findlater, Carnforth,
My grandson has not only been trained to be a terrorist, but also to be a second World War soldier, a Star Wars trooper, a gangster on the streets of Los Angeles and a Roller Coaster Tycoon. And all without leaving his computer.
Audrey Wylfing, Cambridge , Johnstonia
MI5 should be looking at the foreign threat U.K faces but what actually happens is they concentrate on the muslims here.
I am not a muslim but I have suffered like the muslims,it is for every ethnic minority people,they think this is a better way of life but in fact they have a lot of burden on them ,lots of loans are offered at high rates and most of them in low pay,if they complain or apply for managerial jobs get sacked by giving false reason or they will be replaced by E.U Guys who will do anything for the Employers and provide extra services for the Managers. So that Like me Muslims are being cornered in the name of Terror.There may be few people who are involved but it is unfair to blame a community. Unofficially emoployers are told not to employ SriLankans and priority should be given to E.U Guys.So what people from that particular ethnic group can do. I have applied for several jobs but at last I realised that If there is a central system prevent me get jobs nothing I can do .
K.Balakumaran, London, U.K
How utterly disgusting. Round all of these cretins at the 'radical' mosques at once and boot them from the isles, with a qick kick to their backsides for good measure. creeps.
m e smith, manchester, uk
No Eddie, on the contrary this IS Enoch Powell. There is an ideology of hatred towards people with different cultures and beliefs that drives radical Islam. However, there are a small number of people OUTSIDE the realm of radical Islam who share this ideology of hatred. A good example is Mr Powell and the remnants of his followers within British society.
Somnath Mukhopadhyay, Dundee, UK
What a coincidence that this announcement was just made.
A couple of weeks ago I attended my annual Crime reduction Practioners Police Conferences in Canada & the U.S..
One of the trends being discussed, then, was the recruitment of young "gang" members by International Organised Crime Groups. The fact that this trend posed a National Security threat was discussed.
There are intervention & prevention programs in place in Canada and the U.S. for such at risk youths, designed to address this.
The problem is that it may take a genration for any positive impact to show.
Do we have similar programs here in the U.K. ? If not we better get moving on this!
Trish de Veer (Crime reduction practioner), Wallasey, nearLiverpool, U.K.
'Oxford Don': "the only people involved in terrorist activities in the UK are ALL from the Islamic Muslim community [sic - you're not a Professor of Tautology by any chance?]."
So why are all the workers involved in the construction of that new animal testing laboratory in Oxford wearing balaclavas then?
And it wasn't so long ago that that guy was planting bombs in Soho, Brick Lane and Brixton.
And when you talk about protecting the 'indigenous population' you mean 'whites', don't you? So why be so sanitised, ultra-politically correct and racially sensitive then?
Adam, London,
A while back, I wrote a email to Hazel Blears offering assistance on how we could utilise the 'willing' Imams and Scholars' of the area to gain the 'hearts & minds' of the local youth in a more organised and co-ordinated manner to ensure they did not fall prey to such grooming.
This was 'passed' on to our local MP who then said he would be in touch, but didn't,...
alas ... anouncements as such as this article.
I will write again to Hazel Blears, our MP, S. Warsi and the local council and cc you (times) and await their reply.
If you wish to send a reporter to do a 'diary' on how we get on you are most welcome.
M A Patel, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
I recall a time when MI5 were a secret service. I think I preferred it that way.
And for Hanny Herr in Hertfordshire, you obviously don't read the papers then. The police seem to have more success with terrorists than with teenagers.
Jennifer Hynes, Plymouth, England
John of Stoke, what do you mean by this:
"we are, never the less, being slowly out bread by Muslims"
Are you claiming that Muslims are making schnitzel out of us, perhaps by applying a light coating of bread on the outside and then quickly frying in oil? Or are you demonstrating that it is not the "out breading" of others we need concern ourselves with, but rather the very real evidence of in-breeding in our midst?
Funny, that. I've never met a bigot who can spell.
Eric, London,
That should stop all the calls for conscription - its just a shame the private sector got there first!
Rod Munch, Northampton, UK
Is this the same sort of Intelligence which predicted Iraqi weapons of mass destruction which could be launched in 45 minutes? These so-called Intelligence experts can say what they like, and when pressed for further detail hide under the cloak of "National Security". In the meantime the politicians can use them as an excuse to legislate for their Police State. Am I the only cynic out here?
Freda, Gloucestershire, England
This is good news. 15-year-olds should be easy to defeat. Even for the police.
hanny Herr, Herts,
Shouldn't somebody arrest these 'known suspects'?
philip, cambridge,
I see Labour have found a replacement for Alastair Campbell then.
Jihadiwaddy, Timbuktu,
Who wouldn't be disenchanted, living in Police State UK under a NuLabour government? Drain the swamp.
"Our friends in Parliament, they all on our side
Sometimes they talk tough, but you know it's a lie
Immigration is a good thing, on that they all agree
The only ones can stop it are the wicked BNP"
Andrew Milner, Yokohama, Japan
In all of this a way needs to be found to win hearts and minds.
Maybe we could win-over Muslim teenagers by making David Beckham head of our intelligence service?
michael blatchford, Bath,, UK
If these "extremists" hate western civilation so much, than why don't they just stay in the "middle east". I think it must be, it's just not so dreamy there afterall. Extremists enjoy western civilization items such as internet, phones, modern medicine, cars ( you know the simple things of life), but do nothing to contribute to the advancement of society. Seems to me places like Saudi Arabia must be paradise for them, but hardly anyone is immigrating there. Hmmm, I wonder why.
This reminds me of the man how cuts off his arm to scratch his own back....
matt jackson, U.S. A, U.S.A
Whilst Britain remains overwhelmingly British we are, never the less, being slowly out bread by Muslims who have on average 4.1 children per woman of childbearing age (figure for Pakistani and Bangladeshi women) verses 1.3 for ethnically British women. The situation is, therefore, only going to get worse and worse. This madness has to be halted. Vote BNP next Mayâs European elections.
P.S. proportional representation for that one remember!
John, Stoke on Trent,
Mmm............Is the same fellow who fed Tony Blair with rubbish and then got himself promoted to the top spot?
They are just trying to scare you into accepting even more control over your lives.
Comes out a day before the Queens speech announcing more counter terror measures.
Me? I am a cynic..............perhaps.
Mark, Whitstable, England
When the untreated festering sore within our nation finally bursts the appeasers and social engineers in our government will have a lot to answer to.
Cromwell, Leeds , England
Welcome to 'multiculturalism. Did anyone really believe that if Britain invited the whole world in, the terrorists would stay out?
It is the INEVITABLE result of this government's lack of a coherent immigration strategy.
Edwin Thornber, Bucharest,
In our sanitised, ultra politically-correct, racially sensitive media world I see that no one has had the guts to say that the only people involved in terrorist activities in the UK are ALL from the Islamic Muslim community. I am not racist in the slightest. I have travelled the world and met wonderful people of all colours and cultures and religions, but we seem to falling over ourselves to avoid pointing to exactly where the problem lies in the UK in case it offends sensibilities. There are disconnected, ethnic-minority communities in the UK who care nothing for our values, culture or way-of-life and unless we tackle this problem head-on and not be afraid to upset some people in the process things will only get worse. It is about time the Government put the safety and security of indigenous population first.
Oxford Don, Oxford, UK
Well what do you expect from this pathetic country?
No one has the guts to stand up to the PC brigade and say enoughs enough. Displaced second generation Muslims are watching propaganda videos ect and then being whipped up to a frenzy to fight for their country. The government allows these videos to be sold in the mosques that fuel the outrage.
Nothing is being done to stop it for fear of offending people. Well, I am offended, offended and disgusted that I live in a spineless second rate country that is the laughing stock of the world.
Mike Jones, Farnborough, Hampshire
....................................and all this talk about the Poles etc. - they work - and don't seem to want to kill us !
Marty, London, England
Unless somebody takes heed of these warnings, there is going to be another holocaust this time in the U.K. in a few years time.
Jean Kaye ex pat, boynton beach, fl. usa.
People are radicalised by what they see and hear. MI6 can invoke the Al Qaida bogeyman, but their cause is given legitimacy by a blatantly partisan foreign policy that keeps the palestinians in servitude and that has caused the deaths and displacement of hundreds or thousands of people in the name of democracy.
richard mullens, London, Europe
Is this not proof that Enoh Powell's speech was correct?
Perhaps Jonathan Evans will also be asked ot resign his job, for speaking the truth.
Eddie, London, UK