Iran, Russia intensify hybrid threats against Britain, MI5 chief warns

LONDON: Iran is stepping up efforts to target sensitive sites, including military installations in Britain, while Russia is intensifying hybrid warfare against Western allies, the head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency has warned.

MI5 Director General Ken McCallum issued the warning on Tuesday during his annual speech on national security threats, highlighting growing concerns over foreign interference, cyberattacks and the potential misuse of artificial intelligence (AI).

McCallum said threats posed by hostile states had quadrupled over the past decade, forcing MI5 to devote more resources to countering them than at any point during the Cold War.

His remarks came a day after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tehran was “highly likely” to have been behind a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, an airbase used by US bombers for strikes against Iran. The incident triggered a security alert and prompted US President Donald Trump to withdraw aircraft from the base.

McCallum declined to comment directly on the Fairford investigation but said there had been a significant shift in Iran’s ambitions this year, with increasing interest in targeting more sensitive locations.

He added that Iran-linked operations had resulted in more than 50 arrests in Britain over the past year.

However, the intelligence chief said Iran’s ability to carry out sophisticated attacks on British soil remained limited by the capabilities of the criminal networks and proxies it used.

Tehran has denied involvement in the Fairford incident and rejected accusations of hostile activities in Britain.

McCallum also described Russia as Britain’s principal state-based aggressor, accusing Moscow of using tactics designed to destabilise European countries without triggering conventional military conflict.

He cited an alleged attempted drone attack involving a cargo plane at a German airport and a cyberattack on Polish energy infrastructure as examples of the broader threat.

Russia has rejected accusations of involvement in hostile operations, with its embassy in London describing claims linking Moscow to European security incidents as baseless.

AI Raises New Security Concerns

McCallum warned that artificial intelligence was accelerating the technological contest between cyber attackers and security agencies.

He said terrorists were already exploiting AI to improve reconnaissance and develop attack methods, while the potential use of the technology to create biological weapons or entirely new pathogens posed an especially serious concern.

Although such a scenario has not yet materialised, he stressed that the risks were real and required sustained attention.

His warning underscores the increasingly complex security challenges facing Britain, as intelligence agencies contend with state-backed operations, cyber threats and emerging technologies that could reshape future attacks.