The head of counter-terrorism policing in the United Kingdom has issued a stark warning about an "unprecedented" increase in terrorism threats since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in

October. Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Matt Jukes informed journalists on Friday that there has been a notable 25% surge in counter-terrorism intelligence, describing it as a "significant increase," as reported by Sky News. He attributed this rise to the Israel-Hamas war, characterizing it as a "radicalization moment" with the potential to drive individuals towards terrorism, according to the BBC.

Matt Jukes, the UK's most senior counter-terrorism officer, expressed his concerns, stating, "It's hard to remember a more unstable, dangerous, and uncertain world."

The escalation in threats coincided with the militant group Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in approximately 1,200 casualties and around 240 hostages. In response, Israel carried out extensive bombardments and invasions, leading to the death of 24,762 people in Gaza as of Friday, according to Gaza's health ministry. The conflict has sparked global protests and hate crimes against both Muslims and Jews.

In the United States, the FBI issued warnings of increased terrorism threats during the holiday period due to the ongoing war. FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed concerns that Hamas' actions could inspire copycat attacks, posing a greater risk to Americans.

The Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit in the UK received over 2,700 public referrals related to online content linked to the war since October. Of these, approximately 630 cases with links to the UK were identified as potentially breaching terrorism or other laws, leading to further investigation or action in about 150 cases. The Met's Counter Terrorism Command is actively investigating around 20 cases, while others are under the jurisdiction of regional units or local police forces.

Since October 7, a total of 33 arrests related to terrorism crimes have been made, with 19 linked to protests, 13 associated with social media, and one concerning an alleged attack, as reported by Sky News. Seven individuals have been charged, while the remainder are either on bail or under investigation. Notably, 20% of those arrested were under the age of 18, with children as young as 11 engaging in concerning online conversations.

Police have initiated around 30 investigations into suspected offenses at protests in London, predominantly related to potential terrorism offenses. Eleven arrests have been made in connection with these investigations, resulting in four individuals being charged and awaiting trial.

Despite the surge in reported threats, the official terrorism threat level in the UK has not changed since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The threat level remains at "substantial," indicating that an attack is deemed "likely," a status unchanged since February 2022 when it was downgraded from "severe," the highest level signifying that an attack is "highly likely." Photo by Dani_7C3, Wikimedia commons.