Al-Qaeda Attempting To Infiltrate MI5, page 1

Sympathisers of Al-Qaeda have recently been trying to infiltrate the British security services. So far it is thought all have been 'weeded out' by MI5's intense and lenghty vetting process.

news.bbc.co.uk
Whitehall officials confirmed what some had long suspected, says BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner.

MI5 believes, from polls, that around 400,000 people in the UK are "sympathetic to violent jihad around the world", said Frank Gardner.

Within that number 1,200 people have been identified as being activists the security service believe are engaged in acts of terrorism at home and abroad, he said.

Applicants are first assessed by an outside agency, then those shortlisted invited to MI5's London headquarters, where their backgrounds and sympathies are intensively investigated for six to eight months.

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Whos to say one or two havent slipped through the net???

But I am under the impression that MI5 works on a 'need to know' basis, meaning anyone attempting to infiltrate them would need to be involved for years before learning any useful information.

But im sure they would be happy to wait years in order to achieve their long-term goals.