Country Report on Terrorism 2024 - Chapter 1 - United Kingdom

Country Overview:  The United Kingdom’s government considers Islamist terrorism to be the country’s primary terrorism threat, and 62 percent of those in custody for terrorism or terrorism-related offenses were categorized as holding Islamist-terrorist views.  At the beginning of 2024, the Security Service (MI5) estimated the threat to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland-related terrorism to be “severe,” indicating a terrorist attack was “highly likely.”  MI5 lowered the threat level to “substantial” on March 6.

The UK government continued to implement the Online Safety Act in 2024 by publishing detailed Codes of Practice for technology companies.  In 2024, Parliament introduced legislation mandating public venues to enhance their preparation for terrorist attacks.  In November, UK authorities coordinated with U.S. officials to arrest Daniel Andreas San Diego, an FBI Most Wanted Terrorist now facing extradition to the United States.  On April 25, the UK Parliament designated the “Terrorgram Collective” – a transnational collective of Telegram groups and channels used to disseminate propaganda and attack instructions – as a terrorist organization.

There are about 20 detained and 22 displaced British nationals in northeast Syria, including alleged ISIS fighters and their associated family members.  By the end of 2024, the UK had repatriated 21 British nationals from northeast Syria to date, including a woman and three children repatriated in May.

2024 Terrorism Trends:  In 2024, UK law enforcement made 245 arrests for suspected terrorism-related activity, a 41 percent increase over 2023.  Eighty-six individuals were tried for terrorism-related offenses, of whom 85 were convicted.  The Arm na Poblachta (Army of the Republic), a paramilitary group that opposes the Good Friday Agreement, claimed responsibility for a pipe bomb found along a road in Northern Ireland, but it did not explode.

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