Cops foiled 8 'terror plots' with extremist threats seen in kids as young as 13
Cops foiled eight "late-stage terror plots" last year and identified children as young as 13 over extremist threats, the UK's top terror cop has revealed.
The UK's Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Matt Jukes, said his unit had 800 live investigations ongoing as they bid to thwart jihadist attacks.
And he warned would-be attackers had picked targets and were gathering weapons when officers swooped.
Mr Jukes said: "Last year we stopped eight late-stage terror attacks. A number of those were close calls, I'd describe several of them as 'goal-line saves'.
"These are cases in which a subject had identified the target, had or were acquiring their weapon and when we have intervened to stop that taking place.
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"The threat feels a very enduring one. It's changed and evolved and it includes many more self initiated terrorists than it had in the past.
"It's making the threat harder to spot and the individuals harder to stop."
The UK's Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Matt Jukes, said his unit had 800 live investigations ongoing (PA)The force believes that Islamist extremism and Islamist terrorism is still the biggest threat to the UK.
However he warned there was an "unprecedented threat" from foreign enemy states including Russia, China and Iran who may have links to criminal gangs in the UK.
He revealed the number of investigations into hostile state threats being carried out by counter-terror police had "quadrupled" in the last two years.
He said: "We know the interests of some state organisations include kidnap, repatriation and assassination of their opponents."
There's currently 15 live investigations into Iranian plots against Brits, including threats of kidnap, violence and assassination.
Mr Jukes said: “The threat projected from Iran is very much a live one.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty Images)“The aggression, intimidation and violence directed at people to punish them for their perceived opposition to a state are not going to be allowed on our watch.
“We intend to detect and interrupt those responsible."
Mr Jukes also said they were seeing an increase in "incel" material online and interest in school massacres.
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He said horrifying attacks in the United States had fuelled interest online - revealing one child as young as 13 had been identified as a threat.
Mr Jukes said: "There's still way too much hateful extremist material motivating people online.
"That's exhibited in a prevalence of misogynism, racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and clearly all that gets mixed in with terrorist ideologies."
UK officers are also helping to probe war crimes being meted out in Ukraine (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)Mr Jukes also warned of a fresh wave of "attack planning" across Europe with "renewed interest" in travel and money transfers to conflict zones and jihadi groups in places like Syria.
And he said the threat remained from the 239 convicted jihadists in UK jails - with many due for release from prison.
Mr Jukes said: "There are individuals who have been convicted of very serious offences in the 2000s and served more than a decade in prison."
UK officers are also helping to probe war crimes being meted out in Ukraine.
On the one-year anniversary of the conflict, the unit were collecting evidence and taking personal statements from more than 100 people who had fled Vladimir Putin’s bloodthirsty war to hand over information to the International Criminal Court.
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