ISIS could become world’s first terrorist state, warns UK

TNN

London, Oct 01, 2014: Britain’s home minister Theresa May said on Tuesday that ISIS could become the world’s first truly terrorist state and bomb the UK with nuclear and chemical weapons. Delivering her speech at the Conservative Party conference, May set out new measures to clamp down on extremist groups, saying, "If ISIS succeeds in firmly consolidating their grip on the land they occupy in Syria and Iraq, we will see the world’s first truly terrorist state established within a few hours flying time of our country." 

 

She added, "With the capability of a state behind them, the terrorists will acquire chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons to attack us.We must not flinch. We must not shy away from our respon sibility. We must not drift towards danger and insecurity .While we still have the chance, we must act to destroy them."

 

 She also promised a ban on so-called hate preachers and other extremists  being  interviewed on television or speaking at public meetings as well as an  extension of   ministers’ authority to outlaw groups suspected of encouraging  terrorism or violence  if the Conservatives were re-elected. 

 

 In a bid to counter the threat of home-grown terrorism, May said the next Tory  manifesto would include a renewed commitment to the Communications Data Bill -  the so-called "snoopers’ charter". The measure, first championed by May two years  ago, would have required phone and internet companies to maintain records of  people’s internet, email and mobile phone activity - though not the content of the    calls or messages. She said, "This is outrageously irresponsible because innocent  people are in terrible danger right now. If we do not act, we risk sleepwalking into a society in which crime can no longer be investigated and terrorists can plot their murderous schemes undisrupted." 

 

It will allow the police and security services investigating serious crimes to access details of whom a person spoke to, and when, but not the content of their communication. She warned there had been a "rapid and dangerous" decline in detectives’ ability to access online communications, with the police forced to abandon 20 investigations, including 13 in which a child was at risk of harm.