Three UK terror attacks were foiled at 'late stage' in last year, counter terror chief reveals as she issues warning over 'smouldering' threat level
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Police have foiled three late stag terror plots in the last year alone amid a 'smouldering' threat level, a senior officer warned yesterday. Vicki Evans, senior national co-ordinator for counter terrorism policing, said the two Islamist and one extreme right-wing plot they had prevented would have led to mass casualties.
![[Ms Evans described the terror threat as 'smouldering'. Pictured - file image of armed police]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/19/10/93309255-14209561-image-a-10_1734605440381.jpg)
Some were 'goal line saves', she said in her first public comments since taking up the role earlier this year. Ms Evans described the terror threat as 'smouldering', adding: 'We have some really deep, dark hot spots, some pockets where we cannot leave the activity and the groups unattended, and we need to continue to maintain our focus on them to keep the threat at bay.
'The breadth and depth of what the teams and the wider national security system are dealing with is truly staggering, it's extraordinary.'. Overall, police and security services have stopped 43 late-stage terror plots since 2017, the police chief said, adding that one of her major concerns was that recent turmoil in Syria could 'create a space for extremism and acts of terror' in the UK.
Ms Evans said: 'In light of events in Syria, I can absolutely confirm that we're proactively reviewing our casework, proactively identifying whether there are any new risks in our system that have been inspired or committed by the events.'. Vicki Evans, the senior national co-ordinator for counter terrorism policing, warned of a 'smouldering' terror threat.
