SAS troops on the ground in major British cities as security is stepped up across the country with terror attack ‘highly likely’
UNDERCOVER SAS soldiers and armed cops will be patrolling high streets and shopping centres across the UK as police warn a UK attack is "highly likely".
Eleven forces are sending out anti-terrorism police patrol squads to tourist hot-spots in cities such as London and Birmingham to try to spot any ISIS or al-Qaeda inspired attacks.
Scotland Yard said an attack in the UK is "highly likely" adding it will review protection of Christmas and New Year events following last night's atrocity in Berlin which saw 12 killed in a truck attack.
Cities where SAS counter-terrorism teams will be:
- London
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Leeds
Around 200 undercover SAS soldiers will be based in secret locations in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester in order to combat any possible terrorist threat.
The plans for mobilisation came after the Home Office responded to a warning from MI5’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre that ISIS extremists were targeting mainland Britain for a major terror attack.
The 200-strong force will operate as part of the Police’s Counter Terrorist Command unit and will focus primarily on major Metropolitan such as London and Birmingham.
The terror threat assessment level in the UK remains at “severe” — meaning an attack is highly likely with the public urged to be vigilant.
London police will institute road closures in the area surrounding Buckingham Palace when the popular Changing the Guard military ceremony is taking place a security measure rushed into place because of the deadly Christmas market truck attack in Berlin.
Cops say the change in procedure had been planned but is being speeded up. The closures and the new physical barriers are set to be in place by tomorrow.
The Changing the Guard has long been popular with tourists and police say it is a high-profile event that attracts large crowds at an iconic location.
Under the new plan, road closures will be in place for nearly two hours when the guards are changed in front of the palace in central London.
Police said the change is "a precautionary measure" for the next three months and is not based on any specific intelligence.
And a number of police forces in areas such as London, Birmingham and Newcastle have increased security patrols at a number of popular tourist attractions.
Greater Manchester Police has announced it will "strengthen" its presence at Manchester Christmas Market which is due to close on Wednesday.
Assistant Chief Constable Debbie Ford said: "We will be working in line with national response and have strengthened our policing presence at Manchester Christmas Markets and stepped up visible patrols, to ensure that people feel safe to go about their daily lives."
She also stressed that there was no intelligence to suggest an attack is "imminent" in Greater Manchester.
There was a visible police presence at a number of Christmas Markets across the UK including Bristol and Glasgow.
Officers on horseback were spotted in Bristol.
Police officers were also spotted near Windsor Castle in Berkshire.
Also posters were handed out to members of the public at the Southbank Winter Festival in London .
The leaflets warned about the risk of terrorism.
The National Police Chief's Council said its activities and intelligence is "under constant review to respond to threats".
It advises people to "be alert but not alarmed".
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan called it a "horrific and cowardly act of terror".
He added: "I want to reassure Londoners and those visiting our city over Christmas that the Metropolitan Police will review all security plans in London in light of last night's events, and that keeping everyone safe remains the highest priority for the Met Commissioner and me."
Visitors to Winter Wonderland in the capital have raised fears of a copycat terror attack following the horror in the German capital.
Revellers have reported waiting in queues of up to an hour for bag searches before being allowed into the attraction.
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Last week concrete barriers were fitted at Birmingham's German Christmas Market in a bid to tighten security.
A West Midland Police spokesman said: "As part of this, a number of security measures were agreed before the market opened, including installing some concrete bollards at a number of locations."
Armed police officers were also spotted walking around a festive market in Newcastle city centre and even posed for pictures with shoppers.
Six people were arrested following a string of anti-terror police raids in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and London in a bid to smash a suspected Christmas bomb plot.
The road was cordoned off as forensic teams were thought to have searched several properties.
Four men aged 22, 27, 35 and 36 were arrested.
One was seized while working the night shift at a nearby chicken factory.
A fifth man aged 27 was held in Burton, Staffs, and a 32-year-old woman arrested in London.
One source told The Sun: "The suspects had been monitored for some time and were thought to be in the process of trying to obtain materials for a bomb.
"No specific target has been identified, although the concern is that any attack would have been in a crowded shopping place."
Earlier this month, the head of MI6 said spies recruited by British intelligence agencies are helping to crush Islamic State plots in Syria by infiltrating their cells.
In a rare speech, Alex Younger disclosed that MI6 agents were “taking the fight to the enemy” by penetrating terror organisations "upstream".
He said: "I will not seek to hide the challenges that come with work against an organisation as murderously efficient as Daesh [Isis], but MI6 and GCHQ intelligence has on numerous occasions given MI5 and the police the information they need to identify and stop threats in the UK and to our allies."
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