Britain facing growing threat from Russia, Iran, and terrorists, MI5 chief says

Sign up now: Get STs newsletters delivered to your inbox

Director-General of MI5 Ken McCallum said there had been a 35 per cent increase in the number of people being investigated over state threat activity.

PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON – Britain is facing an escalating threat from hostile states such as Russia, Iran, and China while the terrorism risk is “huge” with al-Qaeda and Islamic State seeking to incite would-be attackers, Britain’s domestic spy chief said on Oct 16.

MI5 Director-General Ken McCallum said there had been a 35 per cent increase in the number of people being investigated over state threat activity, saying hostile nations were consistently descending into the “ugly” methods usually employed by terrorists.

Mr McCallum said his agency had disrupted “a stream of surveillance plots with hostile intent” from Russia and had tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots.

“In 2025, MI5 is contending with more volume and more variety of threat from terrorists and state actors, than Ive ever seen,” he said in his annual speech at MI5’s headquarters in London.

Britain has repeatedly spoken of hostile action which it says is carried out by Russia, Iran and China who all deny any of the accusations levelled in their direction.

Earlier in 2025, six Bulgarians were jailed for spying for Russia by carrying out surveillance on its behalf while five men were also convicted of carrying out an arson attack on Ukraine-linked businesses in London which British officials said had been ordered by Russia’s Wagner mercenary group.

“With our partners