British police warns of Christmas terror threat

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 24, 2003

British police warns of Christmas terror threat

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British most senior police officer Sir John Stevens on Tuesday urged the public to remain vigilant toterrorist activity over the Christmas and the New Year. The Metropolitan Police commissioner said the use of suicide strategies meant the threat had taken a "quantum leap" since Sept.11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States.

"Everyone needs to know that," Stevens told the BBC Radio 4,adding that "the threat is different in terms of suicide attacks"like the ones aimed at the British targets in Istanbul in November. Earlier on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said it was deploying around 3,000 police officers in central London on NewYear's Eve, some 500 more than last year, amid on-going fears of aterrorist attack.

"There is an immense amount of activity going on, even as Ispeak, in terms of ensuring that people's security is there -- andmore of that will go on over Christmas and the New Year," he said.

Stevens' warning came two days after the United States raised their domestic security level from "yellow" to "orange", claiming there is a high risk of a Sept.11 style attack on US soil. However, he said that while he had not received warnings ofthat nature, the British public should not be complacent about thethreat from terrorism.

"We really must be vigilant," he noted. Britain has remained its second highest level of alert for sixweeks.

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