On Tuesday, the UK government raised the terror threat level in Northern Ireland to “extreme”, ahead of an expected visit by United States President Joe Biden to mark the 25th anniversary of a landmark peace agreement.
The domestic spy agency MI5 now considered that the threat of an attack had moved from “substantial” to “severe”, indicating an incident is considered “highly possible”, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said.
After suffering three decades of bloody uneasiness, Northern Ireland stands transformed since the Good Friday Agreement was adopted on April 10, 1998.
“However, a small number of people remain determined to cause harm to our communities through acts of politically motivated violence,” Heaton-Harris told parliament.
He insisted the public “stay attentive, but not be disturbed” at the announcement, which comes after a police officer was shot and extremely wounded in front of his son. Heaton-Harris drew no link to the scheduled trip by Biden, who plans to visit Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The trip is expected to take in the anniversary of the peace deal, which was brokered with US mediation. The anniversary comes with the territory locked in political paralysis, as pro-UK unionists deny re-entering government in objection to a post-Brexit trade deal approved by London and the European Union.
More extreme militants in the pro-UK camp have issued periodic warnings about the consequences of the deal, which they argue leaves Northern Ireland at risk of political and economic divorce from Great Britain. But Heaton-Harris said that sustained bloodshed was a thing of the past.
The political future of Northern Ireland rests with the democratic will of the people and not the violent actions of the few. Together we will ensure there is no return to the violence of the past.”
Heaton-Harris added.
