President Biden says terrorists responsible for 'severe' threat level 'can't keep me out' of Northern Ireland
US President Joe Biden has said the heightened terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland won't derail his plans to visit in the coming weeks.
President Biden was asked about his reaction to the latest MI5 assessment – raising the level of threat posed by terror gangs from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’ – during a press briefing in North Carolina.
Northern Ireland’s level had been lowered to substantial a year ago.
This was the first time it had been altered since 2010, however, since then there has been a number if dissident republican-linked terrorist incidents, including the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell last month.
On Tuesday, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said the PSNI “will relentlessly pursue those who seek to cause harm and terrorise our community, and those who seek to attack police officers and other members of the security services here in Northern Ireland”.
Police Federation chair Liam Kelly said the “escalation in the threat level is justified”.
Mr Kelly added: “One might reasonably ask why it was downgraded to ‘substantial’ in the first place when it was clear dissident republican groups were still actively wedded to causing murder and destruction.”
It is understood that President Biden’s visit will take place around the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement on April 10.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, the president was asked if he was concerned about the latest threat assessment, and whether that would affect his plans to visit Northern Ireland.
“No. They can’t keep me out,” he said.