Paris terror attacks: Britain's security services braced for copycat terrorist incidents on UK streets
Britain's security services are braced for a terror attack involving marauding gunmen on the streets. Police held a training exercise on the streets of London in June to prepare for such an attack and Scotland Yard has now announced an 'urgent review of tactics'.
Security
services have been braced for the threat of roaming gunmen and suicide
bombers launching a strike in the UK since the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.
Gunmen
carried attacks at luxury hotels and major landmarks in the city,
triggering three days of fierce fighting with security forces over three
days.
Last night's ISIS massacre in Paris bore striking similarities to the terror rampage in India.
Scotland Yard will now urgently review its tactics for responding to a
marauding gun assault by terrorists in the wake of the Paris massacre.
Barcroft
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the
scale of the attacks and the range of weaponry used in the French
capital are a "serious cause for concern".
Sir Bernard said: "We
have developed appropriate tactics to deal with a firearms attack in
London, but we will, of course, urgently review our approach in the
light of last night's act of terrorism in Paris.
"The scale of the attacks and the range of weaponry used by the terrorists are a serious cause for concern.
LNP
Threat: Police have trained for the event of a terrorist gun attack in London
LNP
Preparation: Members of the emergency services take part in a mocked-up terrorist firearms attack at Aldwych station
"But the public can be reassured that our firearms officers
are trained to deal with this kind of incident and we are constantly
evolving new ways to combat the threats to public safety."
In the wake of Friday's events in the French capital, David Cameron made clear that the threat against the UK remains.
He
said: "Ever since the co-ordinated firearms attacks in Mumbai in 2008,
we have all been working together to ensure we could respond to such an
attack.
"It is clear that the threat from Isil is evolving.
"Last night's attack suggests a new degree of planning and co-ordination and a greater ambition for mass casualty attacks.
"And
we must recognise that however strong we are, however much we prepare,
we in the UK face the same threat. That's why we continue to encourage
the public to remain vigilant."
Earlier this year police tested their response to such an incident by carrying out a simulated attack. The mock exercise in London saw officers and emergency services
respond to reports of shots fired by a group of men who disappeared into
the underground network.
There have also been reports that
Scotland Yard has assembled an SAS-style unit of armed officers to
counter the threat of a terrorist gun attack.
Mr Cameron
confirmed that the current threat level will remain at severe, which
indicates that an attack is seen as highly likely.
The outrage in Paris comes in a year which has seen France gripped by the threat of terrorism.
Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images
The developments brought back memories of January, when one of the
world's great cities was brought to a standstill by Islamist extremists.
On
that occasion the French capital was rocked first by the Charlie Hebdo
atrocity, when 12 people were killed after gunmen stormed the offices of
the satirical magazine.
The sense of panic heightened when there
was a subsequent attack on a kosher supermarket, and the incidents
triggered worldwide outrage.
PASince then there have been a number of more minor strikes or attempts.
In one, three Americans and a Briton overpowered a heavily armed gunman on a train from Amsterdam to Paris.
The
horrific scenes in the city on Friday night represent an escalation
compared with the previous incidents. It is the deadliest atrocity on
French soil in recent times - in 1961 a train bombing killed 28 people.
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