Ireland is not safe from the threat of both local and foreign terrorism, according to Taoiseach Simon Harris, reports RTE.
In response to a query, Mr. Harris upped the threat level presented by violent political extremists from moderate to considerable. This was in reference to news in the Sunday Times that Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had written to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.
Speaking today in Carlow, Mr. Harris stated that the gardaà will take whatever action they saw necessary and that he was unable to comment on private security briefings.
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In response to a question regarding whether he was worried about the danger facing politicians ahead of a potential general election, the Taoiseach stated that he did not believe we should permit: “a small group of people to distort who we are as a people”, reports RTE.
“I haven’t detected any significant shift from the people of Ireland right across the country, and I think it is important to say that. But of course it is also important to acknowledge that we are a country that faces threats, and we’re not immune from threats from extremism or terrorism, domestic or international,” reports RTE.
He said that the gardaà would do their duty to guarantee that a general election, whenever it occurs, will take place in a secure setting and that every candidate may participate in the democratic process without fear.
The gardaà said in a statement that they consider the overall level of national danger to be moderate, meaning that while a terrorist attack is unlikely, it is still conceivable.
“Any change to the threat level from a specific sub-category and/or group is communicated by the Commissioner directly to the Minister for Justice,” the statement said, reports RTE.
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