This morning, the United Kingdom raised its terror level; the Guardian says it's now at "its second highest meaning an attack on the country is 'highly likely'. It is the first time the threat level has been at 'severe' since 2011 when it was reduced to 'substantial'." But Police Commissioner Bill Bratton doesn't want you to freak out!
Bratton released a statement, "The NYPD is following developments in the UK closely and working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor any developments. As of now, there is no specific credible threat to New York City. New York City's security posture and NYPD resources are adjusted daily to conform to the changing threat picture around the globe."
British home secretary Theresa May also said there wasn't any intelligence suggesting an attack was imminent and that the threat level was "related to developments in Syria and Iraq, where terrorist groups are planning attacks against the west." She said, "We face a real and serious threat in the UK from international terrorism. I would urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police."
According to BBC News, "PM David Cameron said at least 500 people had travelled from the UK 'to fight in Syria and potentially Iraq'. He said Islamic State (IS) extremists—who are attempting to establish a "caliphate", or Islamic state, in the region—represented a 'greater and deeper threat to our security than we have known before'." It's believed that a British man was involved in the beheading of American journalist James Foley.
