Mark Rowley

LONDON: British police foiled four extreme right-wing terror plots in 2017, according to the country's chief counter-terrorism officer, warning of a "significant" threat. "The right-wing terrorist threat is more significant and more challenging than perhaps the public debate gives it credit for," Mark Rowley said in a speech late on Monday. "Right-wing terrorism wasn't previously organized here," said Rowley, who is stepping down this year.

He added: "A deeply concerning characteristic is how both far-right and also Islamist terrorism are growing, allowing each side to reaffirm their grievances and justify their actions." Britain was hit by five terror attacks last year, four Islamist-inspired and one extreme right-wing. In 2016, a neo-Nazi sympathizer assassinated British MP Jo Cox in her constituency in northern England.- AFP