UK threat level remains unchanged

National Policing Lead for Counter Terrorism, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: 

“We are all shocked and appalled at the tragic events in Paris which saw twelve people murdered at the offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo by armed gunmen. 

“A massive manhunt is underway to catch the suspects and UK police will continue to do all it can to assist our colleagues in France to help catch the people who carried out that attack. 

“It is tragic that two police officers responding to the incident have been attacked and murdered by the assailants and our hearts go out to their families, friends and colleagues. 

“At this stage, there is no UK connection and the threat levels remain unchanged, at severe for the UK. We continue to review our ability to prevent and respond to terrorist incidents and we have deployed additional measures to help reassure and protect the public. 

“The measures we take to protect the public are constantly under review. 

“There is a lot of proactive work going on by the National Counter Terrorism Policing Network and other agencies to mitigate the threat from terrorism. The number of arrests and charges over recent months is one element of the action we are taking to protect the UK. 

“We would remind the public to remain alert and be vigilant and report anything suspicious or of concern to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.”