Advertisement

  1. National

Europe remains on high alert over terror fears

Police in Europe remain on high alert after the foiled Belgian terror plot and the atrocities in Paris.

A weekly anti-Islam rally in Dresden, Germany, has been cancelled by police due to a threat of an attack on one its leaders.

It comes after German security authorities said on Friday that they had specific warnings of a risk of militant attacks on central railway stations in Berlin and Dresden.

View all 27 updates ›

Former MI5 chief: UK terror laws 'not fit for purpose'

Social media like Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat are difficult for security services to track. Credit: PA

Britain's ability to stop terror attacks is being hampered by outdated laws that are "no longer fit for purpose", a former MI5 chief has said.

Jonathan Evans, director-general of MI5 from 2007 to 2013, said the intelligence services need to be allowed to properly monitor possible security threats.

He said social media like Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat were difficult for intelligence agencies to access.

His comments come after David Cameron promised to introduce new powers to track would-be terrorists online.

Mr Evans told the Sunday Telegraph: "Technological changes mean that it is much harder than it was a decade ago for the police or security agencies to find out what terrorists or criminals are saying among themselves."

The UK is currently on its second-highest threat level, meaning an attack is considered highly likely.

More top news