MI5, FBI warn of Iran-backed domestic 'terrorist attacks' at Five Eyes meeting

London, UK

The heads of MI5 and the FBI have issued an unprecedented joint warning, expressing concerns that the ongoing Middle East crisis could elevate the risk of domestic terrorist attacks, media reports said. British spy chief Ken McCallum has explicitly raised concerns over Iran-backed attacks. This warning includes potential dangers posed to Jewish communities, organisations, and other groups within the United Kingdom and the United States.

At the public summit of intelligence chiefs in California, MI5 Director General McCallum, spoke of the risk of "self-initiated" individuals who may have been radicalised online, potentially responding in unpredictable ways in the UK due to the recent terrorist attacks in Israel and the ongoing war in West Asia.

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“There clearly is the possibility that profound events in the Middle East will either generate more volume of UK threat, and/or change its shape in terms of what is being targeted, in terms of how people are taking inspiration,” he said.

The tensions are escalating in the West Asian region, even more so, after an attack on a Gaza hospital which led to the killing of hundreds of individuals.   

Rising concerns amid recent incidents 

Recent incidents, such as the shooting of Swedish football fans in Brussels and a radical Islamist attack in France, have heightened counter-terror concerns, primarily driven by Hamas' barbaric attack on Israel. 

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FBI Director Christopher Wray also shared similar concerns saying, “We cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas or other foreign terrorist organisations could exploit the conflict to call on their supporters to conduct attacks on our own soil”.

He noted that in the last week, there had been an increase in reported "threats" against Jewish and Muslim Americans.

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The intelligence chiefs from the Five Eyes intelligence agencies, including those from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, convened to discuss the implications of Hamas's attack on Israel as well as the threat of Chinese economic espionage. McCallum, in an interview, told BBC that the Chinese espionage is seen on a "pretty epic scale." 

(With inputs from agencies)