9 terror plots foiled by British security this year

LONDON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Nine terrorist attacks have been prevented in Britain during the past 12 months, the country's security service MI5 revealed on Tuesday.

Andrew Parker, the head of MI5, gave the details to Prime Minister Theresa May and her senior ministers at a meeting of the cabinet, according to Downing Street.

A spokesperson for the MI5 said that cabinet ministers heard that while the terror organization Islamic State (IS) had suffered defeat in Iraq and Syria, it did not mean the terror threat was over, but instead was spreading into new areas.

This included trying to encourage attacks in Britain and elsewhere through propaganda on social media sites.

Terror attacks at Westminster, London Bridge, Finsbury Park, and in Manchester this year killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds more.

A review of recent attacks by British security service is due to be released soon. It will look at whether the attacks could have been averted.

The domestic security service has previously said that 13 terror attacks were prevented in the past four years, according to Sky News. Enditem