"Al Qaida trying to enter MI5: claim
3 Jul, 9:51 PM
Al Qaida sympathisers have attempted to infiltrate MI5, it has been reported.
The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner reported that a number of infiltrators had been caught trying to join the service.
The Home Office confirmed that some applicants had been turned down on security grounds.
According to the BBC report, MI5 now believes that there are 1,200 militant jihadists in the UK "actively engaged in acts of terrorism at home or abroad".
They are said to be among 400,000 British Muslims who are sympathetic to "violent jihad around the world".
The attempted infiltrators were said to have been identified as a result of "developed vetting" checks carried out on candidates who apply to join MI5.
A Home Office spokesman said in a brief statement: "All applicants for jobs at the Security Service/MI5 are subject to a rigorous vetting procedure and a number of candidates are turned down on security vetting grounds."
The disclosures come as MI5 is mounting a major recruitment drive to bolster its counter-terrorism capability. Candidates are said to be applying at a rate of around 100,000-a-year for 400 posts annually.
Only last week, the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee - which oversees the work of the intelligence agencies - warned of the risks of taking on large numbers of new recruits.
"This growth carries a series of risks that the service will need to manage over the next few years, including the need to maintain standards in operational capability and service to customers in spite of the increased proportion of new and inexperienced staff," it said in its annual report."
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