The Government has met with MI5 and counter terror police chiefs to discuss the possibility of raising the UK’s threat level to ‘Critical’, meaning an attack is imminent.
Threats from the Islamic State to attack the West during the holy month of Ramadan and to mark the first year of the Caliphate are thought to have prompted the re-think on national security.
It comes a week after 30 British holidaymakers were slaughtered in the Tunisian resort of Sousse by IS gunman Seifeddine Rezgui.
The last time Britain was placed at ‘Critical’ was on June 30 2007 following the failed attempt to bomb Glasgow Airport.
Currently the threat level facing the country is ‘Severe’ which means an attack is “highly likely”.
The source said: “The authorities are literally monitoring thousands of people who are deemed a threat.
“They had their work cut out before the rise of the Islamic Sate but the threat of terrorism now is probably at it’s highest for eight years.
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