Options are limited

Geopolitical tensions stemming from conflict and terrorism in the Middle East pose a bigger security threat to European states than the Soviet Union did at the height of the Cold War, Britain’s ex-MI6 chief warns.

In his first interview since stepping down in November, Sir John Sawers told the Financial Times that brutal terror attacks on European soil are both more likely and more difficult to intercept than ever before.

The 59-year-old ex-spy chief said the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris alongside recent terror warnings and clampdowns on extremist activities throughout Europe indicate the true extent of the threat.

Sawers noted geopolitical tensions throughout the Cold War posed a serious set of problems for Europeans. But he argued the turmoil currently surrounding Europe – driven by unrest in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen – pose more serious challenges.

Middle East terror ‘bigger threat to Europeans than Cold War’ – ex-MI6 chief