The terror alert level in Northern Ireland, a British province with a bloody past where a fragile peace reigns, has been lowered by “grave” at “substantial“for the first time in twelve years, the British government announced on Tuesday.
AT “substantial“, third rung on a scale of five, a terrorist attack is considered “probable“, and no more “highly probable“.
This lowering, the first since 2010, comes ahead of crucial local elections in a context of political tensions linked to Brexit.
There is always a minority who wish to cause harm to Northern Ireland.
The “testifies to the significant progress that Northern Ireland has made, and continues to make, towards a peaceful, more prosperous and safer society“, said the Minister responsible for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis.
Emphasizing that this reflected “continued commitment to the peace process” as well as “enormous effortsof the police and intelligence services to combat terrorism within the province, Mr Lewis cautioned, however: “this is not the time for complacency. There is always a minority who wish to cause harm to Northern Ireland“.
“As always, the public should remain vigilant and report their concerns to the police“, he added.
Three decades of troubles
Northern Ireland has been the scene of three decades of deadly unrest between Republicans, especially Catholics and favorable to the reunification of the island, and Protestant loyalists attached to maintaining under the British crown.
A peace agreement was signed in 1998, ending this conflict which claimed 3,500 lives, but paramilitary groups remained active and the province was rocked by political crises.
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