Priti Patel uncovers UK's hostile threats assessment body

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has publicly confirmed existence of an organisation established to assess threat of hostile state activity and inform UK government's response.

Joint State Threats Assessment Team (JSTAT) was created in 2017 in response to increased and evolving threat UK faces from hostile states such as Russia but has functioned under cover until this week. But Indian-origin Cabinet minister has decided to remove covers from undercover outfit to function more actively across different government departments.

"We continue to face a very real and serious threat from states who seek to undermine and destabilise this country to pursue ir own ndas, said Patel.

"It is vital that we continue to gain a deeper understanding of wide-range of threats we face in order to take robust action to protect our national security. JSTAT has enhanced our capabilities and understanding of state-based threats we face and will continue to do so in order to protect us at home and abroad, she said.

Based inside MI5's headquarters in London, independent unit of intelligence specialists provides early warnings and advice to government on potential threats by hostile states including deployment of spies, assassinations, attempts to disrupt elections and cyber attacks.

Patel said decision to publicly unveil JSTAT has been taken in order to maximise its utility to national security community, enabling greater engment with stakeholders, industry and academics.

It will also allow for broader communication of threats to government departments and ncies, as well as partners across private and charitable sectors, ensuring y have access to information to better protect mselves.

Like or independent assessment bodies, including joint terrorism analysis centre, JSTAT reports to a governance board comprising senior officials from across UK intelligence community and wider government departments. Director General of MI5, Andrew Parker, has ultimate responsibility for organisation.