MI5 warns Iran, Russia and AI intensified threats to Britain

MI5 Director General Ken McCallum used his annual threat update to cast Russia as Britain’s top hostile state threat, warn that Iran had widened operations in the UK, and say artificial intelligence was sharpening risks from espionage, cyberattacks and terrorism. McCallum said Russia had escalated hybrid warfare while relying more on criminal proxies and local recruits after diplomatic expulsions weakened its networks. He said Iran-linked operations had led to more than 50 arrests in Britain, with many targeting Jewish communities and some now aimed at harder targets such as military sites. McCallum also said MI5 had seen potential attackers use AI for reconnaissance and attack planning, and warned extremists could eventually exploit the technology for bioweapons.