The Minister of the Interior, Shabana Mahmood, will, based on the law on national security, have the authority to designate as foreign spy services representatives of groups that are, for example, considered to be the initiators of recent attacks on the Jewish community, reports The Guardian.
People who carry out activities on behalf of these groups will face prison terms, even if they do not know who they are working for.
The goal of Britain is to solve the problem of the growing number of foreign agents who, especially on social networks, recruit criminals to carry out acts of terrorism, sabotage and espionage.
“We have noticed a very significant increase in work related to the activities of foreign states, especially when it comes to the three most important of them, i.e. Iran, Russia and China,” said the head of the anti-terrorist police. “In the six months to December last year, we saw a 50% increase in investigations under the National Security Act. This makes up a significant part of our workload,” he added.
The problem is the rise of groups acting on behalf of Iran and Russia, which are currently exploiting a loophole in British national security laws.
The move was first reported by The Times after the Metropolitan Police announced the establishment of a community protection team of 100 additional officers to help ensure the safety of the Jewish community. Police have previously said that 300 more police officers are needed to deal with growing anti-Semitism in the capital.
