Hague: UK to assess terror defences after Norway

The government is to reassess how it would respond to possible new terror threats to the UK after Friday's attacks in Norway, William Hague says.

The foreign secretary told the BBC the National Security Council would meet on Monday to ensure "enough attention is being given to all forms of terrorism".

At least 92 people died in bomb and gun attacks in Norway. The main suspect is a 32-year-old with far-right links.

Mr Hague said al-Qaeda terrorism remained the main threat to the UK.

Anders Behring Breivik has admitted planting a bomb which killed seven people in central Oslo and later carrying out a massacre of at least 85 people at an island youth camp.

He described his actions as "gruesome but necessary" and said he would explain himself at a court hearing on Monday.
Firearms controls

Speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr programme, Mr Hague said the National Security Council would "look at the lessons to be learned" from the attacks in Norway.

"We will check that enough attention is being given to all forms of terrorism."

He said measures had been put in place under the current government and under Labour to ensure strong defences.

"We have tight firearms controls in Britain and very tight controls on the sale of material needed to manufacture a bomb, and we have the most highly professionally trained firearms officers in the world, and we have the police and intelligence agencies working well together in making sure, best as we can, that the country is safe from attacks."
No guarantees

He warned that the events in Norway must not make people think al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism was no longer a threat.

"It remains in all assessment the single biggest terrorist threat to the UK and to our European allies. That remains the case."

But he said the UK's counter-terrorism strategy made clear it was not the only form of threat the country could face.
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Recently, in the Cabinet office briefing room, we ran a major exercise to make sure we were as well prepared as we can be to deal with that sort of threat in this country, and the test stood up to its name”
Sir Hugh Orde
Association of Chief Police Officers

He said: "It always requires vigilance from members of the public and it always requires us to think of a new situation or a new kind of threat. It is exactly to make sure we are preparing ourselves for that, that we will be discussing it in the National Security Council."

Mr Hague warned even the strongest security measures could not prevent every terrorist attack.

"It is much harder in the case of a lone individual or a couple of people, that is much harder than combating a terrorist network and that is why you have to have the other things, the firearms legislation, the controls on material needed to manufacture a bomb, you have to have as many defences in place as you possibly can."

He said the current terrorism threat level to the UK was "substantial", meaning "there is a possibility of an attack and an attack without warning".
Test exercise

Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, also appearing on the Andrew Marr programme, said the UK police and government had already run a "major exercise" to prepare for an attack similar to that which took place in Norway.

He said this was done in order to "keep ahead of the game".

He added: "To a very substantial degree in this country, you plan for and prepare for those events which slipped through the intelligence net.

"Recently, in the Cabinet Office briefing room, we ran a major exercise to make sure we were as well prepared as we can be to deal with that sort of threat in this country, and the test stood up to its name. We delivered."

Sir Hugh said policing continued to evolve.

"We knew from Mumbai, for example, that we have to start thinking in very different ways. Terrorism moves all the time.

"The trick of policing, and this is where British police stand up, is we look at these things, we learn from them, we engage with the government who give us additional funding, and are prepared to protect the citizens in this country as best we can, within the legal framework that we have."