It has been confirmed this afternoon that the UK’s terror threat level has been raised from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’.
This means that an attack is “highly likely”.
The move – which has been confirmed by Home Secretary Priti Patel – comes after an emergency COBRA meeting was held today following a the explosion of a taxi vehicle which arrived outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital yesterday.
Police have arrested four people since the blast occurred yesterday afternoon, and have since declared it an act of terrorism.
The decision to raise the threat level has been taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) – which is based at MI5’s headquarters in London, and is made up of counter-terror experts from the police, government and security agencies – and Ms Patel said it was made due to two incidents occurring in the last month.
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Speaking to reporters tis afternoon, the Home Secretary said: “The prime minister has this afternoon just chaired a COBRA meeting and I attended that meeting too – and the points to note from that meeting is that, first of all, the incident has been declared as a terrorist incident, the police have now declared that.
“But, secondly, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre – JTAC – are now increasing the United Kingdom’s threat level from substantial to severe.
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“That reason is because what we saw yesterday is the second incident in a month.
“Now, of course that means we continue to work with our world class security, intelligence and policing services – representatives from those agencies.
“There is a live investigation taking place right now, they will need the time, the space, to do the work that they are doing in terms of investigating the incident.
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“But of course, we as a government, I as home secretary, continue to work with everyone when it comes to the security of our country and making sure that we are taking all the necessary steps required.”
The five terror threat levels are:
Low – An attack is highly unlikely Moderate – An attack is possible, but not likely Substantial – An attack is likely Severe – An attack is highly likely Critical – An attack is highly likely in the near future
Police say the motivation for Sunday’s incident is “not clear”, but that officers believe they know the identity of the taxi passenger, and that four arrested men are thought to be “associates”.
This is a BREAKING NEWS story – More to follow.
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Sexy Fish Manchester forced to temporarily close after huge Damien Hirst fish sculpture falls from wall
Daisy Jackson
Sexy Fish Manchester is temporarily closed after one of its impressive Damien Hirst sculptures fell from the wall of the luxury space – while diners were inside.
Videos shared online of the aftermath show the huge glittering sculpture smashed on the floor of the restaurant space, with chunks of concrete scattered.
The restaurant has a sign in the window confirming it is closed today due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.
A statement from Sexy Fish Manchester confirmed that the dazzling artwork, which was part of the Spinningfields restaurant’s multi-million-pound fit-out, fell during lunch service yesterday.
Sexy Fish Manchester opened in 2023 in a huge space in Spinningfields, filling it with opulent details like a sparkling octopus sculpture, mermaids, a waterfall, and a huge fish tank.
It was one of the city’s most impressive openings of that year and has drawn in crowds with its premium sushi and seafood menu.
The statue that fell is one of the 3D Damien Hirst pieces, this one featuring intertwined swordfish.
Today, scaffolding can be seen inside the restaurant as repairs take place, with plans to reopen soon.
Sexy Fish said: “Yesterday, a piece of art fell off the wall at Sexy Fish Manchester.
“Our team responded immediately, and is in close contact with guests who were dining at the time.
Weather warnings issued with parts of Greater Manchester set to be battered by torrential rain
Emily Sergeant
Large parts of Greater Manchester are set to be battered with heavy rain and strong winds this weekend.
Summer couldn’t be a thing of the past more if it tried, at least not for the North anyway, as the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for a parts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland – with Greater Manchester very much included in the mix, and set to see some pretty grim conditions over the coming days.
According to the Met Office‘, unsettled conditions ‘will prevail’ for many with heavy rain and strong winds over the weekend, and even a risk of thunderstorms too.
The yellow weather warning – which covers most of Greater Manchester, primarily the more northern boroughs – comes into place from 9am on Saturday (20 September) and will officially end at 6am on Sunday (21 September).
Weather forecasters are warning local residents to take care when the rough conditions hit.
“20-40 mm of rain is expected to fall widely, with some locations perhaps seeing 60-100 mm, with much of this total falling in just a few hours,” explained Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Tom Crabtree.
“From mid-Saturday onwards, increasingly strong gusty winds and perhaps some thunder will also accompany the rainfall, further increasing the risk of disruption.”
He also added that strong winds are ‘likely’.
“These may potentially exceed 55 miles per hour, however the exact location and timing remain uncertain at this time [so] we’re closely monitoring developments and may issue more warnings as the situation evolves.”