British ISIS terrorists 'planning major attack on UK soil,' says Iraq's chief counter terror officer
29 June 2023, 08:02
British ISIS terrorists are planning to launch a large-scale attack on UK soil, according to Iraqi intelligence officials.
The most senior counter-terrorism leader in Iraq General Abdul Wahab el-Saadi warned that Islamist extremists are plotting to target the UK with a ‘big attack’ on a public gathering.
General Al-Saadi told the Mirror: “We know ISIS have been talking to UK-based terrorists and we know what they are planning. It is a big attack.”
“In the past few weeks we launched major operations against Daesh or Islamic State and killed large numbers of terrorists, in one raid there were about five of them, all quite senior,” General al-Saadi said.
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“I can tell you that from the information we found at the site of one of our recent raids the next intended terror attack will be in the United Kingdom.”
Asked to describe the UK cell, he said: “These terrorists are all British nationals.”
Western Intelligence agencies are currently working to smash the plot.
“I cannot tell what form the attack they want to launch would take as it can be a car, a knife, a gun, a bomb,” he added.
Baghdad is currently throwing resources at tackling pockets of the terror group in Iraq.
“We are in the front line in this war against Islamic State and we are paying in blood to protect countries like Britain,” General Al-Saadi said.
A detachment of UK special forces will go to Iraq in the coming weeks to help train more troops in the fight against the extremist group.
The UK terror threat level, set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, is currently “substantial” meaning an attack is “likely”.
