Security news

• Man, 28, who brought bomb to Leeds hospital was self-radicalised, court told

  30-10-2023 16:37
  
  Prosecution says patient at St James’s persuaded Mohammed Farooq to hand himself inA “self-radicalised” suspect who brought a pressure cooker bomb to a Leeds hospital in January was persuaded to hand himself in to police by a member of the public who “saved many lives”, a court heard.Mohammed Farooq, 28, brought a device containing nearly 10kg of explosive to St James’s hospital in the early hours of 20 January 2023, planning to detonate it in a terror attack,
  
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• West’s spy chiefs alarmed at recklessness of Russian counterparts

  16-10-2024 19:14
  
  After expulsion of hundreds of embassy-based spies, Kremlin is using riskier and less conventional methodsA developing Russian campaign of arson, sabotage and even murder plots has left western intelligence agencies alarmed over the past year.The ramping up of activity has come as the Kremlin’s spy apparatus recovered from the initial shock of seeing 450 agents posing as diplomats expelled from Europe in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...
  
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• Russia suspected of planting device on plane that caused UK warehouse fire

  16-10-2024 17:45
  
  Exclusive: Police investigate whether spies placed incendiary package that caught alight in BirminghamCounter-terrorism police are investigating whether Russian spies planted an incendiary device on a plane to Britain that later caught fire at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham, the Guardian can reveal.Nobody was reported injured in the fire on 22 July at a warehouse in the suburb of Minworth that handles parcels for delivery, and the blaze was dealt with by the local fire brigade and by staff. Conti
  
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• US will send THAAD missile defense system to Israel

  14-10-2024 13:17 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkThe United States is set to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel, along with the necessary troops to operate it, according to a Pentagon announcement on Sunday. This move follows a warning from Iran, urging the U.S. to keep its military forces away from Israel. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-will-send-thaad-missile-defense-system-to-israel-80324/
  
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• China’s shows of force against Taiwan

  14-10-2024 13:02 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkChina launched military drills around Taiwan on Monday, sending jets and warships in a “warning” to “separatists” on the self-ruled island. It is the latest show of force by Beijing, which sees Taiwan as its territory and vows to take it back by force if necessary. AFP takes a look at China’s increasing efforts at […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinas-shows-of-force-against-taiwan-80317/
  
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• China military encircles Taiwan in ‘warning’ drills

  14-10-2024 12:55 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkChina deployed fighter jets and warships to encircle Taiwan on Monday, in drills Beijing said were aimed at sending a “stern warning” to “separatist” forces on the self-ruled island. Beijing has not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control and Monday’s drills represent its fourth round of large-scale war games in just […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-military-encircles-taiwan-in-warning-drills-80311/
  
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• In a first, SpaceX ‘catches’ megarocket booster after test flight

  14-10-2024 11:13 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkSpaceX successfully “caught” the first-stage booster of its Starship megarocket Sunday as it returned to the launch pad after a test flight, a world first in the company’s quest for rapid reusability. The “super heavy booster” had blasted off attached to the Starship rocket minutes earlier, then made a picture-perfect controlled return to the same […]https://www.defencetalk.com/in-a-first-spacex-catches-megarocket-booster-after-test-flight-80335/
  
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• Nuclear deterrence still at heart of great power strategy: experts

  14-10-2024 10:17 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkNuclear-armed powers have no intention of giving up the atom bomb as part of their military strategy, experts said after the Nobel Peace Prize committee urged against any weakening of the nuclear “taboo”. Awarding this year’s peace prize to Japan’s Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors pushing for a nuclear weapons […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nuclear-deterrence-still-at-heart-of-great-power-strategy-experts-80330/
  
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• Teenagers as young as 13 under suspicion for UK far-right terrorism

  12-10-2024 08:00
  Experts blame ‘hateful soup’ of social media content as MI5 boss points to threefold increase in under-18s being investigatedTeenagers as young as 13 are coming under suspicion of engaging in terrorism after being exposed to a toxic cocktail of easily accessible far-right extremism online, experts have warned.Insiders describe “a horrible hateful soup” of social media content where children can “pick and mix” terrorist narratives, including the Terrorgram netw
  
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• Israeli retaliation threat sparks call in Iran for nuclear weapons

  11-10-2024 14:45 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkWith the prospect of Israeli retaliation for Iran’s missile attack looming, some Iranian hardliners want their government to revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons. Israel has vowed to launch a “deadly, precise, and surprising” attack on Iran in retaliation for its second-ever direct strike on Israeli territory. On October 1, Iran launched 200 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israeli-retaliation-threat-sparks-call-in-iran-for-nuclear-weapons-80306/
  
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• Ex-UK soldier denies passing secrets to Iran intelligence

  09-10-2024 16:25 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkA former British Army soldier allegedly broke out of prison strapped to the underside of a food delivery truck while detained on suspicion of passing secret information to Iranian intelligence, a prosecutor said on Wednesday. Daniel Khalife, 23, is on trial accused of both the break-out and passing information to Iran for cash while posted […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ex-uk-soldier-denies-passing-secrets-to-iran-intelligence-80300/
  
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• Iran warns Israel not to attack its infrastructure

  09-10-2024 16:18 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkIran warned Israel on Tuesday against attacking any of its infrastructure amid fears of a possible Israeli assault on oil or nuclear sites following Iran’s missile barrage last week. “Any attack against infrastructure in Iran will provoke an even stronger response,” state television quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying. He spoke after Israel said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-warns-israel-not-to-attack-its-infrastructure-80295/
  
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• Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher review – her shaky post-blast interview says it all

  08-10-2024 23:15
  This careful, intelligent documentary about the 1984 IRA attack on the Conservative party conference is largely a study of its target – and her failure to understand the issues that led to itBombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher is a documentary with a gap in the middle. Its main interviewee is the Brighton bomber himself, Patrick Magee, who in 1984 placed an explosive device in the Grand hotel, timed to explode during the Conservative party conference. It did so in the early hours o
  
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• MI5 chief: UK facing growing threat from Islamic State, Russia and Iran

  08-10-2024 19:51
  Ken McCallum says agency facing ‘one hell of a job’ to counter efforts to stage assassinations and terror attacksThe head of MI5 has said his agency has “one hell of a job” to do as the threat from Islamic State has returned while Iran and Russia engage in intensifying efforts to undertake assassination and sabotage plots in the UK.Ken McCallum said a revival of IS in Afghanistan in particular had brought a resumption of efforts by the Islamist group to export terrorism,
  
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• MI5 chief: UK facing threat from Iran, Russia and Islamic State – video

  08-10-2024 16:04
  The head of MI5 has said his agency has 'one hell of a job' to do as the threat from Islamic State has returned while Iran and Russia engage in intensifying efforts to undertake assassination and sabotage plots in the UK. In an annual speech, the Security Service director general, Ken McCallum, also accused Iran of being behind 'plot after plot' on British soil. He said Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency was engaged in 'a sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European
  
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• Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation

  08-10-2024 04:56 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkThe Philippines and South Korea committed Monday to deepening maritime cooperation, their presidents said, in the face of China’s assertion of its claims over the South China Sea. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos met in Manila and agreed to closer ties between their coast guards. Yoon said they […]https://www.defencetalk.com/philippines-south-korea-agree-to-deepen-maritime-cooperation-80286/
  
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• Israeli strikes hit central Syria army positions: defense ministry

  07-10-2024 14:15 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkThe Syrian defence ministry said Israel had launched air strikes on military positions in central Syria on Sunday, reporting no casualties. Since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the country, mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The strikes have increased in recent days, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israeli-strikes-hit-central-syria-army-positions-defense-ministry-8
  
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• Iran says its allies ‘will not back down’ in war with Israel

  07-10-2024 13:57 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkIran’s supreme leader vowed in a rare address on Friday that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel, as he defended his country’s missile strike on its foe. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s address in Tehran followed Iran’s second-ever direct attack on Israel. It was also the first since exchanges of fire between Tehran-backed Hezbollah […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-says-its-allies-will-not-back-down-in-war-with-israel-80276/
  
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• Israel preparing response to Iran attack

  07-10-2024 13:54 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkAn Israeli official told AFP on Saturday that the military is “preparing a response” to the Iranian missile barrage that targeted Israel earlier this week. “The IDF (Israeli military) is preparing a response to the unprecedented and unlawful Iranian attack on Israeli civilians and Israel,” the military official said on condition of anonymity as he […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-preparing-response-to-iran-attack-80271/
  
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• Kazakhstan approve plan for first nuclear power plant

  07-10-2024 13:31 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalkKazakhstan has approved a plan to build its first nuclear power station in a referendum, overcoming lingering resentment over massive radiation exposure from Soviet-era nuclear tests. The Central Asian country is the world’s largest producer of uranium and has massive oil reserves but it suffers from chronic energy shortages. The “Yes” vote won 71.12 percent […]https://www.defencetalk.com/kazakhstan-approve-plan-for-first-nuclear-power-plant-80265/
  
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• Tugendhat condemns Tory rival over claim UK special forces ‘kill rather than capture terrorists’

  01-10-2024 10:12
  Party leadership contender says Robert Jenrick’s remarks show ‘fundamental misunderstanding’ of law of warThe former UK security minister Tom Tugendhat has criticised the claim by one of his Conservative leadership rivals that UK special forces are “killing rather than capturing” terrorism suspects, saying the comment showed a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the law of war.Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, defended his claim on Tuesday,
  
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• Malcolm Turnbull condemns UK’s ‘extraordinary’ hypocrisy over Spycatcher affair

  29-09-2024 21:00
  Exclusive: Former Australian PM witnessed ‘shocking act of perjury’ and says MI5 are still trying to hide somethingThe former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused the UK government of hypocrisy and concealment over the way it continues to block the release of secret files about the Spycatcher affair.Before entering politics, Turnbull was a barrister for Peter Wright, a retired senior MI5 intelligence officer who revealed a series of illegal activities by the British
  
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• ‘Moneypenny with more power’: book celebrates UK’s forgotten female spies

  23-09-2024 06:00
  
  Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall reveals contribution of Kathleen Pettigrew, most senior secretary in MI6 and inspiration for Ian Fleming, and others in new titleFor decades, their work has been hidden from view, their names missing from the history books.Now, a new book is seeking to shine a light on the secret and unacknowledged contributions of female spies who worked for MI6 in the early 20th century, and establish their place in history using previously classified evidence and newly unearthed documen
  
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• Welsh teenager jailed for attacking trans woman and sharing terrorist documents

  19-09-2024 19:29
  Alex Edwards, 19, sentenced to more than five years in jail as judge says he has ‘entrenched mindset of hatred’A teenage far-right extremist has been jailed for more than five years for sharing terrorist documents and attacking a transgender woman by kicking her in the head before posting “best day ever” online.Alex Edwards, formerly known as Alex Hutton, was sentenced at Winchester crown court for causing actual bodily harm, disseminating terrorist material and having a
  
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• With Two Nuclear-Armed Strategic Competitors, US Modernization Top Priority

  19-09-2024 03:28 via defencetalk.com
  
  DefenceTalk“The security environment we face today is unprecedented,” said Melissa Dalton, undersecretary of the Air Force. “We face for the first time in our nation’s history, two strategic competitors that are nuclear states with large and growing nuclear arsenals. When we look at the [People’s Republic of China] and its breathtaking modernization over the last […]https://www.defencetalk.com/with-two-nuclear-armed-strategic-competitors-us-modernization-top-
  
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• UK counter-terror police drafted in after Telegraph journalist dies in Gibraltar

  12-09-2024 17:10
  
  David Knowles, who helped make Ukraine: The Latest podcast, died on holiday after suspected cardiac arrestUK counter-terrorism police are providing support to the investigation into the death of a Daily Telegraph journalist in Gibraltar.David Knowles died while on holiday on Sunday after what his employers said was believed to be a cardiac arrest. Continue reading...
  
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• Martyn’s law to require terror safety plans at venues with 200-plus capacity

  12-09-2024 16:24
  
  Bill is laid before parliament after years of campaigning by mother of Manchester Arena bombing victimPubs and clubs that can hold 200 people could be fined £10,000 if the owners fail to comply with a new law that is meant to protect against terror attacks.Martyn’s law, otherwise known as the terrorism (protection of premises) bill, will require all venues with a capacity of more than 199 people to take steps to ensure they have a plan in place in case of an attack on their premises.
  
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• Can the UK fight ‘extreme misogyny’ as if it were terrorism? I have my doubts | Samira Shackle

  29-08-2024 12:00
  
  Anti-extremism policy has a poor track record over a number of governments. Adding misogyny to the mix won’t change thisWhen riots broke out in the UK in late July, one of the most prominent voices spreading misinformation was the self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate. The riots came after a horrific knife attack in Southport – and Tate was among those tweeting, falsely, that the attacker was “an illegal immigrant arrived on a boat one month ago”. This is one
  
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• Starmer cancels appointment of Gwyn Jenkins as national security adviser

  26-08-2024 18:00
  
  Exclusive: PM’s decision seen by some in Whitehall as precursor for role going to more politically loyal candidateKeir Starmer has cancelled the appointment of one of Britain’s top generals as the national security adviser, in a move that senior civil servants fear is designed to pave the way for a more politically loyal candidate.The prime minister has overturned the decision made in April by his predecessor, Rishi Sunak, to appoint Gwyn Jenkins, then the vice-chief of the armed for
  
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• Search to begin for remains of Capt Robert Nairac, murdered by IRA in 1977

  26-08-2024 07:00
  British army officer kidnapped, then killed and secretly buried, while on undercover operation during TroublesA search is to begin for the remains of a British army captain and undercover officer who was kidnapped, murdered and secretly buried by the IRA in 1977.Capt Robert Nairac was kidnapped by the IRA while on an undercover operation in The Three Steps pub in Dromintee in south Armagh close to the border. After a struggle he was taken across the border to a field in Ravensdale woods area in
  
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