Ajit Karn
London: The UK government raised the threat level for terrorism in Northern Ireland to “severe” on Tuesday. This is because US President Joe Biden is set to visit Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of a major peace agreement.
The danger of an attack has gone from “substantial” to “severe,” which means that it is “highly likely” that something will happen, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said.
Since the Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, Northern Ireland has changed a lot after 30 years of bloody strife.
“However, a small number of people are still determined to hurt our communities through acts of violence that are motivated by politics,” Heaton-Harris told parliament.
After a police officer was shot and badly hurt in front of his son, he told the public to “stay alert, but don’t be scared” by the news.
Heaton-Harris didn’t see any connection between this and Biden’s planned trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The trip is set to happen around the time of the peace deal’s anniversary, which was made possible with help from the US.
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The territory is stuck in a political stalemate because pro-UK unions won’t join the government again because they don’t like the trade deal agreed to by London and the EU after Brexit.
Extreme radicals in the pro-UK group have warned about the deal’s effects on a regular basis. They say that the deal puts Northern Ireland at risk of splitting politically and economically from Great Britain.
Heaton-Harris, on the other hand, said that long-term fighting was a thing of the past.
“The future of Northern Ireland’s politics depends on the democratic will of the people, not on the actions of a few violent people,” he said.
“Together, we will make sure that the violence of the past doesn’t come back.”
