The MI5 intelligence service of Britain on Tuesday escalated the domestic terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland to "severe", which indicates that there ia a high possibility of an attack occurring.
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris said in a statement to MPs that the threat level had been upgraded from "substantial" after recent attacks on police officers, according to Reuters.
Last month, an off-duty police officer got severely wounded in a shooting. Dublin and London's governments denounced the attack.
Heaton-Harris advised "the public to remain vigilant, but not be alarmed and continue to report any concerns" to the Northern Ireland police.
The modification of Northern Ireland's domestic terrorism situation emanates almost one year after Britain downgraded the threat level to "substantial" first time in over a decade.
Northern Ireland Police Officer Gunned Down
Last month, masked attackers shot senior police officer John Caldwell as the detective chief inspector and his son were loading footballs into his car following a football training activity in Omagh, County Tyrone, per The Guardian.
DCI Caldwell ended in critical condition but he was stable. The Northern Ireland police officer sustained several bullet wounds and underwent surgery.
Authorities conducted 13 arrests in relation to the attempted slaying of the Northern Ireland police officer, however, nobody was charged.
In his statement, Heaton-Harris noted that a "small number of people" are persistent to spread terror to the communities in Northern Ireland "through acts of politically motivated violence."
He added that the region has experienced heightened "levels of activity relating to Northern Ireland-related terrorism, which has targeted police officers serving their communities and also put at risk the lives of children and other members of the public," per The Mirror.
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