Government fears 'likely' Paris-style attack with automatic weapons in UK, minister says

John Hayes said the UK's response was being shaped to deal with an attack by gunmen

John Hayes, security minister at the Home Office (Crown copyright)

The Government fears a Paris or Mumbai-style attack by terrorists using automatic weapons against civilian targets in the UK, according to Britain’s security minister.

John Hayes told MPs during a committee hearing that an attack on UK soil was “likely” and that Britain was reassessing its security procedures to deal with such an eventuality.

“Our threat level hasn’t changed but the threat level was already severe. As a result of that we need to understand what that means in practice: it means an attack in the UK is likely,” he told the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee.

“In addition to that we have further evidence from the director of MI5 that seven terrorist plots have been foiled in the last year alone. What Paris represents, following Tunisia, is the danger of those marauding with automatic weapons who are entirely careless of the lives they take.

“This was a random attack on a variety of targets based on both the will and the means – automatic weapons – to do maximum damage. In the light of that we are looking closely at our response and our strategy and policy to see if we are fit to deal with that dynamic.”

Mr Hayes however warned that Isis and other militant groups had shown “extraordinary adaptability” and could change tactics.

The warning comes after coordinated attacks across Paris killed 130 people earlier this month, mostly through gunfire at a crowded concert venue.

The militant group Isis claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In 2008 another Islamist militant group also killed 164 people including in a gunman attack at a railway station.