The head of London's Metropolitan Police has warned of the risk of a terrorist attack as lockdown restrictions eased in England on Monday.
Cressida Dick said her officers are dealing with more than 800 live cases and that they have seen a rise in the threat of far-right terrorism.
Since 2017, she said, 29 lethal intended attacks had been prevented, 18 of which were by Islamist militants and 10 by far-right extremists.
The UK's terrorism threat level is currently rated as “substantial”. Ms Dick has warned an attack is “still likely” as travel opens up and people gather together.
“As lockdown eases there may be greater opportunities for terrorists to exploit in terms of travel and crowds of people,” she told The National.
“Right now the police and the security services are working on a very high level of investigations, more than 800. Of these, we are seeing an increased proportion of extreme right-wing terrorists. There is no doubt there is an increasing threat. Around one in four of our arrests relate to extreme right-wing terrorists.”
She also warned of youngsters being radicalised, with one in 10 of those arrested under the age of 18.
“It is a global phenomenon and we are working with our international partners to defeat it,” she said.
She said the force is working with 300 companies to tackle online radicalisation and more than 315,000 pieces of extremist content have been taken down since 2015.
Ms Dick said there has been a recent spike in anti-Semitic incidents in London during the recent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians.
She described attacks against the Jewish community as “vile” and said investigations are continuing against those responsible.
The Met has faced criticism over its policing of the Euro 2020 championships after a number of ticketless fans tried to force their way into Wembley Stadium for the final.
“There were disgraceful scenes of drunken football fans trying to force themselves into Wembley, attacking stewards,” she said.
“Some of my officers were injured. There will be a review into what happened at the final.”
But she said that London is a “safe” city.
Earlier on Monday the UK’s House of Commons began hearing the second reading of Home Secretary Priti Patel’s tough new immigration bill which will provide officers with more powers to tackle people smugglers.
The Nationality and Borders Bill proposes longer sentences for traffickers and the deportation of migrants arriving on illegal boats.
New laws will make it a criminal offence for asylum seekers to enter Britain without permission.
The changes will give police the power to lock up entrants who do not arrive through an airport, ferry terminal or train station after charging them, instead of sending them to hotels or detention centres while their asylum claims are processed.
More than 8,000 asylum seekers made the hazardous crossing of the English Channel last year, but the authorities hope that tough new immigration laws will deter others. More than 16,000 people illegally entered the UK last year.
“The system is broken,” Ms Patel said, when launching the bill earlier this month.
“We stand by our moral and legal obligations to help innocent people fleeing cruelty from around the world. But the system must be a fair one.”
In 2019, UK asylum applications increased by 21 per cent on the year to almost 36,000 — the highest number since the 2015/16 European “migration crisis".
The asylum system now costs the UK over £1 billion ($1.38bn) a year to run.
On Monday, shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds hit out at the bill.
“The reality is that this bill will do nothing to fix this,” he told The Independent.
“Instead it means the government will turn their backs on some of the most vulnerable people on Earth. So aggressive is this legislation, it could criminalise the RNLI for saving people at sea — and had this bill been in place when Sir Nicholas Winton was rescuing hundreds of children from the Holocaust on the Kindertransport, it would have risked him being criminalised for his life-saving actions.
“As ever with this home secretary, the bill is an attempt to talk tough but will deliver nothing. Labour will not stand back and allow this government to pass such divisive and ill-judged legislation that will damage Britain’s authority across the world.”
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Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Europa League group stage draw
Group A: Villarreal, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Astana, Slavia Prague.
Group B: Dynamo Kiev, Young Boys, Partizan Belgrade, Skenderbeu.
Group C: Sporting Braga, Ludogorets, Hoffenheim, Istanbul Basaksehir.
Group D: AC Milan, Austria Vienna , Rijeka, AEK Athens.
Group E: Lyon, Everton, Atalanta, Apollon Limassol.
Group F: FC Copenhagen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Zlin.
Group G: Vitoria Plzen, Steaua Bucarest, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FC Lugano.
Group H: Arsenal, BATE Borisov, Cologne, Red Star Belgrade.
Group I: Salzburg, Marseille, Vitoria Guimaraes, Konyaspor.
Group J: Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Zorya Luhansk, Ostersund.
Group K: Lazio, Nice, Zulte Waregem, Vitesse Arnhem.
Group L: Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad, Rosenborg, Vardar
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England (15-1)
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Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
