Policy

Britain Raises Terror Threat Level to 'Severe'

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Britain's government has raised the country's terror threat level to "severe," Home Secretary Theresa May said Friday. 

It's the fourth-highest of five potential threat levels. According to the U.K. government, it means an attack is "highly likely." But there is no intelligence to suggest an attack is imminent.

May said the threat level was raised in general because of the deteriorating situation in Iraq and Syria, where extremist militants from the group calling itself the Islamic State (also ISIS or ISIL). May said, however, that there was no specific threat to Britain that caused the raise in the terror level.