THE findings of official reviews into intelligence handling by counter-terror agencies prior to this year’s wave of attacks will be detailed in a report today.
Britain’s security apparatus came under close scrutiny after dozens of people were killed or injured in atrocities between March and June.
Following the attacks at Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge, and Finsbury Park, MI5 and police launched internal reviews.
The assessments have been carried out internally, but David Anderson QC was appointed by the Government to provide “independent assurance”.
Mr Anderson, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, submitted his classified report to the Home Secretary last month and a version of his findings will be made public today.
The Parsons Green attack in September is not covered by the report.
The events of 2017 have prompted questions for MI5 and the national counter-terror policing network.
It emerged that perpetrators of the Westminster and Manchester atrocities, as well as one of the London Bridge attackers, had at some point been on the radar of authorities.
In a speech in October, the head of MI5 Andrew Parker said that when an attack happens “we are determined, using the harsh light of hindsight, to squeeze out every last drop of learning so that we can be the very best we can be, now and in the future.”
The scale of the threat is seen as unprecedented. Counter-terror teams are running 500 live investigations involving 3,000 individuals at any one time.
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