Terror threat raised at London transport hubs
Terror threat levels have been raised at some London tranport hubs, Channel 4 News understands. But security sources say there is no suggestion that an attack is imminent.
The sub-sector terror threat refers to specific areas of national infrastructure.
Channel 4 News understands it was raised for civil aviation and London railways following a security review at Scotland Yard on Thursday morning.
The sub-sector terror threat is not normally known to the public.
The overall terror threat for the UK is at “severe” and has not been raised to its highest level – “critical” – which would mean an attack was expected imminently.
Extra police have been deployed on the rail network and at Heathrow Airport amid “intelligence chatter” over possible attacks.
But Scotland Yard and the Home Office stressed that the overall threat level in the country had not changed.
A Yard spokesman said: “The threat level to the UK is at severe, which means that an attack is highly likely, and has been since January 2010.
“We will police accordingly and use a range of covert and overt tactics which remain under constant review.”
There is a continuing need for everyone to remain vigilant. Home Office spokesman
The continued speculation about attacks served as a “stark reminder of the real and enduring threat we continue to face from terrorist groups”, he added.
A Home Office spokesman added: “There is a continuing need for everyone to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police.”
BAA, which runs Heathrow and other terminals, said: “Security at our airports remains at a high level and we remain vigilant at all times.”