AK-47s and missiles: The Cold War weapons police fear terrorists could use in UK

3 comments

1. Soviet-era rocket launchers and missiles are among a series of “old but effective” weapons systems that counter-terror police fear could be smuggled into Britain and used against targets including passenger jets.

   Specialist officers are increasingly concerned that weapons seen in war zones including [Ukraine ](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/weapons-zelensky-hopes-win-ukraine-victory-3291372?ico=in-line_link)and the [Middle East](https://inews.co.uk/opinion/israel-may-turn-beirut-into-another-gaza-but-wont-be-any-more-secure-3287660?ico=in-line_link) could be obtained by terrorists seeking to operate in the UK.

   The National Counter-Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), a police unit dedicated to preventing and preparing for attacks, has identified six classes of munitions that represent a heightened risk.

   These include mass-produced Cold War-era weapons made for the Soviet Union and its allies, including a shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile and rocket-propelled grenades, as well as the AK-47 assault rifle, which was used in the 2015 Paris attacks.

   There is no suggestion of an immediate or specific threat involving the weapons, and the UK and its allies work closely to prevent such arms reaching British shores.

   But police and intelligence officials are concerned about an increased risk of terror attacks linked to the Israel-Gaza war, at the same time as a greater proliferation of military-grade weapons systems from conflict zones.

   At the International Security Expo in London this week, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jon Savell, a senior counter-terrorism officer with the Metropolitan Police, said that escalating conflicts in the Middle East could be a “motivating factor” for attacks in Britain.

   There are currently around 800 counter-terrorism investigations being undertaken in the UK by police and intelligence agencies.

   Speaking at a separate briefing at the expo, officers from NaCTSO said so-called “stand-off” weapons, capable of being fired or launched from a distance, were considered a particular threat in scenarios including aviation and the protection of VIPs, such as politicians or foreign dignitaries.

   These include the Strela-2 shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile, a weapon first developed in Russia in the 1960s which uses an infra-red guidance system to target aircraft at relatively low altitudes.

   The weapon, which was mass-produced during the Cold War, was used in 2002 to attempt to bring down a Boeing 757 aircraft carrying Israeli holidaymakers leaving the Kenyan resort city of Mombasa, in an attack linked to Al-Qaeda.

2. Of all the things to smuggle these seem unlikely risks. I’d be more worried about grenades, on drones

3. Terrorism is at all time low, fear of terrorism though….

   Stop peddling fear.