Russian spies are on a 'sustained mission to generate mayhem' on British soil, head of MI5 warns Ken McCallum said MI5 has 'one hell of a job' battling Putin's 'henchmen' He warned of a surge in plots from the IS terrorist group and nations such as Iran MI5 has seen investigations into hostile state threats soar by almost 50 per cent By Rebecca Camber Crime And Security Editor Published: 22:30, 8 October 2024 | Updated: 22:30, 8 October 2024 e-mail View comments Russia is on a 'mission to generate mayhem' on British soil, the head of MI5 warned yesterday. In a chilling speech, Ken McCallum said the security service has 'one hell of a job' to do battling enemies such as Vladimir Putin 's 'henchmen'. The spy chief also said that the country faces a 'staggering' terror threat from children – with minors as young as 13 being poisoned by online extremism.
And he warned of a surge in plots from the Islamic State terrorist group and nations such as Iran . In the last year alone, MI5 has seen investigations into hostile state threats soar by almost 50 per cent with a leap in assassination and sabotage plots. Describing today's landscape as 'the most complex and interconnected threat environment we've ever seen', Mr McCallum warned that Kremlin spies are seeking to strike Britain.
In his annual assessment, he said: 'The UK's leading role in supporting Ukraine means we loom large in the fevered imagination of Putin's regime and we should expect to see continued acts of aggression h.