The UK could face a growing threat from "lone wolf" terrorists returning from fighting overseas in the next few years, a think tank has warned.
According to BBC, the Royal United Services Institute estimates about 50 Britons are fighting with Somali extremists al-Shabab. Returnees from "wars in Somalia, Yemen or Nigeria" could use their experience on UK streets, Rusi said.
The Home Office said its security arrangements would reflect "the nature of the terrorist threat we face". It is also feared that the return of Britons from overseas could coincide with the release of people convicted of terrorist charges over the last decade.
The UK terror threat level was reduced from "severe" to "substantial" in July last year, but Rusi warned that the threat from jihadist terrorism had not diminished. Despite recent arrests and failed plots, "lone wolves" and "self-radicalised" jihadi terrorists were hard to track down and posed a greater security risk, its report said.
The report also warned that UK counter-terrorism spending and staffing levels could face significant cuts after the end of the London Olympics this summer. The focus on averting a terrorist threat during the Games had postponed much-needed reform until afterwards.
"The Games are both a help and a hindrance to UK counter-terrorism," said Rusi senior fellow Tobias Feakin. "A help because they have stimulated intense co-operation between the security agencies, but a hindrance because the shadow of the Olympics disguises the landscape for the years beyond. As budgetary restrictions are increasingly applied across the public sector, it is almost certain that the security agencies will also have to tighten their belts."
He added: "There is a sense in Whitehall that major decisions are being postponed until the event has ended in August, with an overriding priority to complete the Games without major incident.
"After this, the changes for the various security organizations involved will be inevitable."
