LONDON — Senior British law enforcement officials are sounding the alarm about the growing role that technology and online platforms are playing in threats against the United Kingdom, with hostile foreign governments, extremist groups, and far-right organizations all increasingly exploiting the digital landscape.
Vicki Evans, a senior national coordinator for counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police, described an ongoing “continual battle” against online threats and stressed that law enforcement cannot tackle the problem without assistance from technology companies. “It’s not something we can do alone,” she said.
Laurence Taylor, head of counterterrorism police, noted that while Islamic extremism continues to pose the greatest overall threat, dangers posed by far-right groups and hostile foreign states have grown considerably over the past five years.
Evans described the threat from hostile states as the “most rapidly escalating mission” currently facing counterterrorism police.
Several high-profile cases have underscored the danger. In July, two Romanian men were sent to prison for stabbing a journalist from a Persian-language television station — an attack the judge said was carried out on behalf of Iran’s government. In June, a Ukrainian man and a Romanian man were jailed for their involvement in setting fire to property connected to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a plot that fits the profile of Russian state-sponsored sabotage. And in May, a U.K. border official and former Hong Kong police officer were convicted of spying for China.
Evans revealed that in 2025 alone, police have identified more than 20 Iranian-backed plots targeting the U.K., including planned assassinations and kidnappings. Investigators are also looking into whether a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites earlier this year may be connected to Iran.
Russia, she added, has been running a “constant stream of surveillance plots” against individuals and institutions in Britain. The goal, she said, is to target people Russian officials view as enemies, work their way into everyday life, and recruit individuals willing to spread Russian narratives or carry out tasks on Moscow’s behalf.
Across Europe, Russia has used messaging apps like Telegram to recruit dozens of people to commit acts of vandalism and arson — including the torching of a London warehouse that housed communications equipment destined for Ukraine. The ringleader of that plot, Dylan Earl, was recruited through Telegram by the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization acting on behalf of Moscow that has been designated a terrorist group by the U.K. government.
Evans also disclosed that teenagers as young as 15 have been arrested in connection with these proxy plots. She warned that “anyone could be targeted,” particularly through online channels.
“This isn’t something that’s happening elsewhere,” Evans said, speaking to reporters at New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police’s headquarters. “It’s happening here. This risk is in our neighborhoods, in our online spaces and in our workplaces.”
Taylor said the U.K.’s national threat level was elevated in April from “substantial” to “severe,” due in part to a significant rise in cases tied to extreme far-right ideologies. Police have observed a surge in what officials called “vile” online content — a mix of racism, misogyny, and extreme homophobia — with the number of such cases approaching 800.
Taylor said extreme viewpoints are facing less and less pushback, creating an environment where previously unacceptable ideas are becoming more widespread. He pointed to the case of 18-year-old Alina Burns, who was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison in May after attacking a stranger with an ax — a crime Taylor said was driven by her extreme right-wing beliefs. He also cited Alfie Coleman, a 22-year-old sentenced Wednesday to 13.5 years in prison for attempting to purchase a firearm from an undercover MI5 officer — a man who, Taylor said, was radicalized online beginning at age 14.
Evans explained that those exploiting young people online are deliberately crafting content designed to appeal to them, blending propaganda with gaming footage, historical imagery, and music. Young people are then encouraged to carry out violent acts in real life — including being urged to “recreate” brutal scenarios from video games, she said.
In some cases, Evans said, “sadistic online groups” pit users against each other in competitions to cause harm, whether through cyberattacks, extremist activity, serious violence, child sexual abuse, or even terrorism.
The sheer volume of disturbing content online — including extreme violence and graphic imagery — has left some people with a distorted view of what is normal, Evans said, making them especially susceptible to manipulation by outside actors, including foreign governments.
While the British government has announced plans to ban social media use for those under 16, Evans said that measure alone is not sufficient. She called for sustained pressure on technology companies to take a more active role in reducing harmful content online, noting that laws and regulations tend to become outdated quickly while social platforms continue to have powerful tools for pushing content toward young users.
“The tipping point is very swift and steep,” Evans said, describing how quickly some individuals can be drawn into dangerous online spaces.
