UK at greater terror attack risk than any other Western nation

LONDON: Britain is at greater risk of a terrorist attack than any other Western nation, a research has claimed.

In the Terrorism Risk Index compiled by global risks advisory firm, Maplecroft, the UK was ranked higher than the US, France, Spain, China and Sri Lanka, the Daily Mail reports.

The index that showed which countries are considered most likely to suffer an attack, was topped by Somalia, followed by Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and the new nation of South Sudan, with Britain in 38th place.

Britain was placed in the category of ‘medium risk’ of an attack, and ranked above ‘low-risk’ countries that included Spain in 53rd place, the US in 61st place and Germany in 62nd place.

Maplecroft researchers said that ‘the UK continues to face terrorist threats posed by Islamist militants and dissident Irish republicans’.

“International Islamist groups such as Al Qaeda and, specifically, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) present a continuous security risk,” they said.

In last year’s results the UK was ranked 47th, behind both the US and France, the paper said.

The latest data also revealed that the number of global terrorist attacks in 2010-11 has increased by 15 percent over the previous year to 11,954, although the numbers killed fell seven percent to 14,478.