British counter-terror official warns of ISIS attack

In this Thursday, March 15, 2012 file photo, the Boudica statue stands in the foreground as fog shrouds the clock tower which houses the Big Ben bell at the Palace of Westminster, London.  AP

LONDON, United Kingdom — British police’s counter-terror chief warned Monday that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group wants to launch “enormous and spectacular attacks,” as jihadists broaden their focus to target Western lifestyles.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told reporters that while ISIS once struck primarily at symbols of the state, such as military and police targets, the group is now planning for broader violence, like November’s attacks in Paris.

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“You see a terrorist group which has big ambitions for enormous and spectacular attacks, not just the types that we’ve seen foiled to date,” Rowley said at a briefing in London.

Rowley stressed that police have no information about such an attack targeted at the U.K. but said authorities should plan for all eventualities.

Rowley said ISIS is no longer content to simply radicalize people through propaganda, but is “trying to build bigger attacks.” He added that the group is also trying to bring jihadists trained in Syria into northern Europe to launch strikes.