If you’ve ever watched the news after a terror attack you will probably have heard the newsreader or reporter refer to ‘the terror level’ or ‘terror level threat’. But what actually is a terror level threat and what do they mean? “Terror threat levels are designed to give a broad indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack,” explains Paul Weldon, managing director of The Panic Room Company. What the threat levels mean:
  • LOW means an attack is unlikely
  • MODERATE means an attack is possible, but not likely
  • SUBSTANTIAL means an attack is a strong possibility
  • SEVERE means an attack is highly likely
  • CRITICAL means an attack is expected imminently
Continues Paul: “Terror level threats were first introduced in 2006 and the terror level threat for the UK from international terrorism is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre with MI5 being responsible for setting the threat levels from domestic terrorism. “Various factors are taken into account when reaching a judgement on the appropriate threat level include: available intelligence, terrorist capability, terrorist intentions and timescale. “The threat from international terrorism in the UK currently stands at SEVERE and has remained so since 29th August 2014.”