Security news

• Advisers told ministers banning Palestine Action could make it more popular

  11-11-2025 06:00
  Briefing paper warned proscription could also heighten Muslim-Jewish tensions and be seen as favouring IsraelMinisters banned Palestine Action despite being told by their advisers it could “inadvertently enhance” the group’s profile, an official government document shows.The briefing paper was written three months before the proscription of the group, which was set up to take direct action to halt UK arms supplies to Israel. Continue reading...
  
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• UK holds talks with LinkedIn on clamping down on Chinese espionage

  19-11-2025 20:25
  Government wants social media platforms to be less attractive for foreign agents after recent intelligence warningsThe government is holding talks with LinkedIn on how it can clamp down on prolific Chinese espionage activity after a rare interference alert was issued by MI5.The National Protective Security Authority, which is part of the UK’s security services, is speaking to social media platforms about making them less attractive for foreign agents, a government official told the Guardia
  
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• Legal experts and politicians criticise process used to ban Palestine Action

  10-11-2025 17:00
  Independent commission says definition of terrorism relied on by ministers is too broad and more parliamentary oversight is neededLegal experts, former government ministers and an ex-MI6 director have criticised the process used to ban Palestine Action.The members of an independent commission set up by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law said the definition of terrorism was too broad and better parliamentary oversight and judicial scrutiny was needed. Continue reading...
  
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• Lammy says he was not ‘equipped with the details’ when facing questions on mistaken prisoner release at PMQs – as it happened

  06-11-2025 18:22
  This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDavid Lammy, the deputy PM and justice secretary, has welcomed the fact that Billy Smith is back in custody, but described the spike in release mistakes as “unacceptable”.According to PA Media, Lammy said:William Smith is back in custody. The spike in mistaken releases is unacceptable.We’re modernising prison systems – replacing paper with digital tools to cut errors. Continue reading...
  
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• Far-right extremists outnumber Islamists in anti-terror programme referrals, data shows

  06-11-2025 12:49
  Total referrals reach record high, with 21% being due to ‘extreme rightwing concerns’ and 10% to Islamist ideologyMore suspected far-right extremists were referred to the government’s anti-terrorism programme Prevent last year than those suspected of Islamist extremism, annual figures show.In total, 8,778 referrals were made because of suspicions of extremist radicalisation in the year to March 2025, 27% more than the previous year and the highest number of referrals in a singl
  
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• Counter-terror police investigate claim UK university halted research after Chinese pressure

  04-11-2025 01:08
  Sheffield Hallam University ordered professor to cease human rights study into Uyghurs forced labour in ChinaAn investigation into allegations that a British university was subjected to pressure from Beijing authorities to halt research about human rights abuses in China has been referred to counter-terrorism police.The Guardian reported on Monday morning that Sheffield Hallam University, home to the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC) research institution, had ordered professo
  
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• Government rules out public inquiry into Birmingham pub bombings

  30-10-2025 17:15
  Ministers suggest independent commission set up to investigate deaths related to Troubles could look into 1974 attackMinisters have ruled out establishing a public inquiry into the IRA’s 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.On 21 November 1974, 21 people were killed and 220 injured when bombs were detonated at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs in Birmingham, in an attack widely believed to have been orchestrated by the Provisional IRA. Continue reading...
  
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• China spy row: Berry knew some of his contacts were non-commercial, messages suggest

  27-10-2025 18:20
  Man at centre of abandoned spy case has said he reported to Chinese company with clients that wanted ‘to develop trading links with UK’Christopher Berry, the man at the heart of a controversial and now-abandoned Chinese espionage case, appeared to be aware that he was supplying information to a non-commercial client, according to messages seen by the Guardian.In August 2022, Berry sent a voice note saying that “they want me to work for them directly instead of going through the
  
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• British troops to get powers to shoot down drones near military bases

  20-10-2025 10:58
  Defence secretary will announce measures to combat threat of unmanned aircraft after incursions in EuropeSoldiers are to be given new powers to shoot down unidentified drones believed to be threatening UK military bases in response to a recent spate of incursions and sightings in Europe.John Healey, the defence secretary, will announce the measure at a speech in the City of London on Monday, in which he will also warn of an increased level of Russian drone attacks into Ukraine and eastern Europe
  
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• Legal challenge to Palestine Action ban can go ahead, court rules

  17-10-2025 16:05
  Judges reject Home Office attempt to block judicial review of group’s proscription under Terrorism ActA legal challenge to the ban on Palestine Action can go ahead next month after the court of appeal rejected the Home Office’s attempt to block the case.In a blow to the government, on Friday, three judges, led by the lady chief justice, Sue Carr, upheld Mr Justice Chamberlain’s decision to grant the Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori a judicial review of the group’s
  
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• Three neo-Nazis jailed for plotting terror attacks on UK mosques and synagogues

  17-10-2025 14:31
  Group of ‘like-minded extremists’ styled themselves after the SS and amassed arsenal of more than 200 weapons Three neo-Nazi extremists who amassed an arsenal of more than 200 weapons and were planning terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues in England have been jailed for between eight and 11 years.Christopher Ringrose, 35, Marco Pitzettu, 26, and Brogan Stewart, 25, communicated online and formed a group with “like-minded extremists” who wanted to “go to war f
  
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• Head of CPS faces cross-party pressure to explain China spy trial collapse

  16-10-2025 20:44
  Stephen Parkinson called on to give ‘fuller explanation’ as MI5 expresses frustration over charges being droppedThe director of public prosecutions has come under intense cross-party pressure to explain why the China spy trial collapsed as MI5 expressed frustration at the decision and MPs launched a series of inquiries into how it was taken.The chairs of the home affairs, foreign affairs, justice and national security committees wrote together to Stephen Parkinson, the head of the Cr
  
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• Why MPs prefer conspiracy theory over cock-up in China spy case row | John Crace

  16-10-2025 16:48
  The facts had changed so MPs simply amended their conspiracy theories to fit the new evidenceIt’s all as clear as mud. If Keir Starmer thought that releasing the three witness statements of the deputy national security adviser (DNSA) Matthew Collins late on Wednesday night was going to make the China spy case row go away, then he was in for a big disappointment.There was no way MPs were going to let a story like this out of their clutches. This was their moment to take centre stage. When t
  
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• ‘We are angry but resilient,’ Jewish leaders tell Manchester synagogue vigil

  09-10-2025 15:38
  Dozens of worshippers gather at sombre but defiant vigil a week after attack in which two men were killedDozens of worshippers have gathered at the Manchester synagogue that was attacked on Yom Kippur, vowing to show “resolve” and not be “cowed” by terrorism.Amid heavy security a week after the assault in which two men were killed, Jewish community leaders led prayers and speeches in a sombre but defiant 15-minute vigil. Continue reading...
  
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• Why has the UK dropped its trial of two alleged China spies?

  08-10-2025 20:38
  Prosecutor hinted at lack of backing from Downing Street but legal experts argue prosecution was still possibleAn extraordinary disclosure by Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, on Tuesday evening has triggered a political row over who was behind the sudden abandonment of a high-profile espionage case.Two Britons had been accused of acting as spies for China. One of them, Christopher Cash, was a parliamentary researcher for the Conservative backbencher Alicia Kearns, speciali
  
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• Manchester synagogue terrorist pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 999 call

  08-10-2025 19:00
  Police say Jihad al-Shamie made call to emergency services during attack that resulted in the deaths of two worshippersThe Manchester synagogue terrorist rang 999 during his deadly attack pledging allegiance to the terror group Islamic State, police have said.Jihad al-Shamie, 35, made the call claiming responsibility for the attack after driving his car at worshippers outside Heaton Park synagogue in north Manchester on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur last week. Continue reading...
  
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• Legal experts question reasoning behind CPS dropping China ‘spies’ case

  08-10-2025 16:43
  Ex-DPP Ken Macdonald says prosecutors may have been ‘over-fussy’ in seeking further assurances from governmentLegal experts have questioned the explanation given by the Crown Prosecution Service for its sudden decision to drop charges against two Britons accused of spying for China amid a political row over who was responsible.The expert lawyers expressed surprise that the CPS thought it needed further assurance from the government that China was an enemy insofar as it posed “a
  
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• I didn’t realise how much I loved my home town until a terrorist attacked it. I pray unity prevails there | Simon Hattenstone

  07-10-2025 13:06
  Last week’s attack on the synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, was also an assault on a model and diverse community. I hope they draw strength from each otherIt’s amazing how much of my life has been shaped by Crumpsall when I think about it. Which I hadn’t until last Thursday, and the horrific attack on the Heaton Park synagogue. Crumpsall is a small area of north Manchester, 1.2 sq miles with a population of 18,000. When I became seriously ill at the age of nine I was initiall
  
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• Neighbours of Manchester synagogue attacker say they reported concerns to police

  06-10-2025 14:30
  Exclusive: Concerns about apparently fanatical interest in Islam shown by Jihad al-Shamie’s family member were reported, Guardian toldNeighbours of the Manchester synagogue attacker reported concerns to police about a family member being “radicalised” and attempting to “preach” the Qur’an to local children, the Guardian has been told.Police have said Jihad al-Shamie, 35, did not appear to be known to counter-terrorism officials before he attacked a Heaton Park
  
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• China threatened to retaliate against UK over foreign influence rules

  05-10-2025 20:23
  Exclusive: Chinese officials warned that targeting its security apparatus would negatively affect relationsChina threatened to retaliate against the UK government if ministers targeted parts of its security apparatus under foreign influence rules, the Guardian can disclose.Chinese officials warned the Foreign Office that the move would have negative consequences for relations soon after the Guardian reported it was under consideration, according to two government sources with knowledge of the di
  
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• An academic was aghast when her partner was accused of IRA activity. After his trial, he confessed

  05-10-2025 14:00
  Mary Attenborough’s nightmare began when the police raided the flat she and Michael Gallagher shared, their memoir reveals, but their relationship prevailedWhen police thundered into their London home in 1996 and arrested Michael Gallagher on suspicion of IRA activity, MaryAttenborough was shocked and indignant.She was an English academic who wrote books on geophysical software and her Scottish partner was a former civil servant who helped homeless alcoholics. The idea of him as an IRA man
  
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• After Manchester, progressives should know this: Jewish people feel very alone. We need you to stand with us | Dave Rich

  04-10-2025 14:00
  There’ll be sympathy and heightened security, but in the 1960s when Jewish communities faced attack, there was also solidarity. We need that backYom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish year, a day of repentance, prayer, fasting; and now – for two Jewish families in Manchester – also a day of mourning. It is also, increasingly, a day when terrorists visit their local synagogue to murder the Jews inside.Six years ago, that terrorist was Stephan Balliet, a German neo-Nazi, and
  
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• In a time of hate and rancour, two Jews sought to pray – and were killed. Let Manchester be a turning point | Jonathan Freedland

  03-10-2025 18:45
  This was a horror but amid rising antisemitism, no one can say it was a surprise. There are lessons to learn, and that must start nowIt was the Jewish New Year last week, when the traditional greeting is shana tova: a good year. This time around, you’d often hear it in adapted form, as Jews wished each other something more modest: “A better year.” As if, given the times we live in, “good” would be too much to ask for; as if we ought to scale down expectations. It tu
  
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• ‘We are one community, this will not break us’: Manchester reacts to synagogue attack

  03-10-2025 13:44
  Residents come together to insist their diverse neighbourhood will stick togetherManchester synagogue attack: latest updates“These people are sent to divide us, but they won’t,” said Barry Moore, as he walked his dog near the site of the terror attack on Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester.On the gently sloping street where two people were killed and four seriously wounded, neighbours from different faiths pulled together. Continue reading...
  
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• Six minutes of terror: how Manchester synagogue attack unfolded

  03-10-2025 02:09
  Witnesses screamed ‘he’s got a bomb’ and ‘shoot him’ before suspect was killed by armed policeManchester synagogue attack: latest updatesWorshippers had arrived early for a special morning service at Heaton Park shul in north Manchester. It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and rabbi Daniel Walker was leading prayers in his long white robes. By 9.31am, they were stained with blood.As people made their way to the synagogue, they saw a small blac
  
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• MI5 and counter-terror police on heightened alert after synagogue attack

  02-10-2025 21:16
  Policing at Jewish places of worship to increase as officials investigate killer’s motivations and ties to othersManchester synagogue attack: latest updatesMI5 and counter-terrorism police will operate at a heightened state of alert in the coming weeks, reflecting concern that the Manchester synagogue attack may be followed by others during the period around the second anniversary of the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel.Policing at synagogues across the country is to be increased. The L
  
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• Community leaders can help curb false claims online after attacks in UK, say researchers

  28-07-2025 08:00
  Analysis finds swift release of information helps to debunk inflammatory falsehoods on social media“Debunking” efforts involving police forces, community leaders and local councillors should be deployed to counter misinformation in the wake of serious incidents such as the Southport murders, according to a new analysis.Trust in the UK government and law enforcement is so low that attempts to curb online falsehoods need to be backed up by other sources, said experts at the Centre for
  
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• ‘I shouldn’t have to fight for answers’: David Amess’s daughter on the MP’s murder and her fury at his friends and colleagues

  28-07-2025 06:00
  
  Almost four years on, Katie Amess thinks she will never recover from losing her father. And she isn’t convinced anything has been done to prevent future tragediesThe last time Katie Amess saw her dad, the Conservative MP Sir David Amess, he was dropping her at Heathrow for her flight home to Los Angeles. Usually, she would cry when they said goodbye, but this time neither were sad – they were both excited. In six weeks, Katie would be back for her wedding.“It was going to be in
  
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• UK ban on Palestine Action at odds with international law, says UN rights chief

  25-07-2025 15:14
  Volker Türk says the Home Office proscription restricts right to freedom of expression and peaceful assemblyThe UK government’s ban on Palestine Action limits the rights and freedoms of people in the UK and is at odds with international law, the UN human rights chief has said.Volker Türk, the UN human rights commissioner, said ministers’ decision to designate the group a terrorist organisation was “disproportionate and unnecessary” and called on them to rescind
  
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• UK ban on Palestine Action is an abuse of power, high court told

  22-07-2025 13:16
  Intelligence assessment before proscription found that vast majority of group’s activities were lawful, court hearsAn intelligence assessment before Palestine Action was banned under anti-terrorism laws found that the vast majority of its activities were lawful, a court has heard.Raza Husain KC, appearing for Huda Ammori, a co-founder of the group, said Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group on 5 July was “repugnant” and an “authoritarian and blatant abuse
  
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