MI5, the UK's domestic intelligence agency, has raised the terror threat level in Northern Ireland from substantial to severe, indicating that an attack is "highly likely." Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has urged the public to remain vigilant and report any concerns to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He stated that MI5 independently made the decision to raise the threat level and cited a continuing threat from a small number of individuals who are determined to use politically motivated violence.
The alert level was raised as the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement approaches, which ended decades of unrest in Northern Ireland. To commemorate the occasion, events are planned including a conference at Queen's University, Belfast, attended by former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State. US President Joe Biden has been invited to attend the anniversary events but has yet to announce the dates of his visit.