Anti-terror legislation review details dissident threat

The independent reviewer of government anti-terrorist legislation has warned that dissident republicans may launch attacks in Britain.

Lord Carlile's remit is to examine the use of the Terrorism Act 2000 and Part One of the Terrorism Act 2006.

He published his latest report on Thursday.

He said that there is a "paramount need for continuous vigilance in Northern Ireland" due to the "lethal" threat posed by dissidents.

The relevant section states: "2009 and early 2010 have demonstrated that there is a paramount need for continuous vigilance in Northern Ireland, despite the progress of recent years.

"The number of terrorism incidents in Northern Ireland has increased, as has the evidence of the existence of determined and dangerous groups of dissident republicans with the ability to manufacture and deploy lethal explosive devices.

"Their main targets to date appear to be the police and armed services. Unfortunately, one cannot possibly exclude the possibility of dissident paramilitaries mounting terrorist attacks in Great Britain."