UK Believes Another Attack May Be Imminent

It's raised the threat level to 'critical' for the first time in a decade
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 23, 2017 4:53 PM CDT
UK Raises Threat Level to 'Critical' for 1st Time in Decade
Armed police work at Manchester Arena after reports of an explosion at the venue during an Ariana Grande gig in Manchester, England Monday, May 22, 2017. Several people have died following reports of an explosion Monday night at an Ariana Grande concert in northern England, police said. A representative...   (Peter Byrne)

Prime Minister Theresa May says Britain's threat level from terrorism has been raised to critical—meaning an attack may be imminent, the AP reports. It's the first time the threat level has been at this level in more than 10 years, CNN reports. May says Salman Abadi, the suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a concert in Manchester, may have been part of a bigger network. She says Abadi was born and raised in Britain. The level previously stood at the second-highest rung of "severe" for several years. May says critical status means armed soldiers may be deployed instead of police at public events such as concerts and sports matches.

May says raising the country's terror threat level and deploying soldiers to patrol key sites is a "proportionate and sensible response" to the suicide bombing. May says Tuesday that the "callous and the cowardly" Monday attack justified rolling out the security measures included in a plan the government calls Operation Temperer. May says the measures include replacing police officers who now guard "key sites" with members of the military operating under police command. She says the move "will allow the police to significantly increase the number of armed officers on patrol in key locations." (More terror attack stories.)

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