Security Alert - UK Government Raises Northern Ireland-Related Terrorism Threat Level

As a precautionary measure, the government of the United Kingdom raised its national security threat level for Northern Ireland from substantial to severe on Tuesday, March 28. A threat level of severe means that an attack is highly likely.

According to the UK government, the threat level change is based on the latest intelligence and analysis of factors that drive the threat. It considers a range of factors including the two terrorist incidents in Northern Ireland directed at the Police Service of Northern Ireland over the past four months. This decision reverses the UK Government’s downgrade in Northern Ireland's terror threat level in February 2022 from severe to substantial - the first change in 12 years at the time. More information about U.K. threat levels is available on the MI5 website.
 
 Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said, “The public should remain vigilant, but not be alarmed, and continue to report any concerns they have to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”
 
 The State Department’s travel advisory level for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland remains at “Level Two: Exercise increased caution” due to the presence of terrorist groups that continue to plot possible attacks in the country. We encourage travelers to review the information on the country information page for additional information.

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 Actions to Take

 Assistance
 U.S. Consulate General Belfast
  +44 (0) 28 9038-6100
  ConsularBelfast@state.gov
 
 U.S. Embassy London, United Kingdom
 +44 (0) 207-499-9000
 SCSLondon@state.gov
 
 U.S. Consulate General Edinburgh
  +44 (0) 131 556-8315
  Edinburgh-info@state.gov
 
  State Department – Consular Affairs
  888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
  United Kingdom Country Information