Thousands of Islamist extremists in the UK see the British public as a legitimate target for attacks, the director general of MI5 has warned.
Andrew Parker was making his first public speech since taking over as head of the UK Security Service in April.
Al-Qaeda and its affiliates in Pakistan and Yemen present “the most direct and immediate threats to the UK,” he said.
He also warned of the damage done to British security by the leaking of classified documents from GCHQ.
Addressing the Royal United Services Institute in Whitehall, Mr Parker added the security services must have access to the many means of communication which terrorists now use, BBC informs.
