Days after imposing a one-month (at a minimum) lockdown, the UK is raising its terror alert level to "severe" (from "substantial"), meaning an attack is "highly likely" following Monday's attack in Vienna, and the attacks last month across France.
Another suspect in last night's attack was arrested in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, just this morning, and Austrian officials have been suspiciously mum on the number of assailants who managed to escape the scene last night (one attacker was killed, at least 2 have been arrested). The death toll in yesterday's shooting has climbed to 4.
Three people were killed in a knife attack in Nice, one of several attacks that unfolded last month, which prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to declare a crackdown on Islamic terror.
Assessments of threat levels are taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Center, which is part of MI5. They include:
- Low - an attack is highly unlikely
- Moderate - an attack is possible but not likely
- Substantial - an attack is likely
- Severe - an attack is highly likely
- Critical - an attack is highly likely in the near future
To be sure, Wales' two-week firebreak lockdown is nearing its end, but England's lockdown is just beginning. People are already terrified enough by the resurgence of the coronavirus across the continent. The British terror level was finally lowered to substantial in November 2019 from severe for the first time in 5 years. Severe is the second-highest level, with only "critical" above it.
Though an attack is now deemed "likely", the alert doesn't offer any advice other than for Britons to remain 'alert'.
Home Secretary Priti Patel described the move as a "precautionary measure" and said it was "not based on any specific threat".
"The public should continue to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police," she said.
France is in a continued state of 'high security alert' after a series of Islamist terror attacks rocked the country leaving multiple innocent bystanders dead and wounded. Other European countries too have increased security given the latest mass shooting by jihadists roving the streets and randomly killing in a Jewish neighborhood of Vienna Monday night.
And now on Tuesday French police descended on a hotel to apprehend a man who had been seen walking the streets of central Paris wielding a machete. Local reports said the man barricaded himself inside the building.
Multiple witnesses had called police when at around 11:30am they saw "a man armed with a machete in the corridors of the Metro at Père-Lachaise station," according to a Paris police spokesman.
The incident was enough for police to shut down the entire street after the man was seen entering a hotel. The hotel was surrounded with snipers positioned on surrounding buildings.
It's unclear at this point if he attempted to attack or swing it at anyone, but it understandably caused momentary panic in the area, given last month's beheadings. So far there's been no reports of victims, while police said the investigation is ongoing.
No doubt police are taking no chances and it's likely that anyone seen brandishing a weapon in public, especially something like a long blade or sword, will trigger a full emergency SWAT response.
On Monday night four people were killed in Vienna when terrorists began random killings in the center of the city. One gunman was still at large hours after the terror attack and was being pursued by police and military.
Some reports are suggesting the man apprehended in central Paris was prepared to possibly carry out a 'copycat' attack.
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