Britain on Wednesday set out the legal basis for drone strikes against terror suspects overseas, saying new technology meant some terror attacks were developing too quickly for traditional law enforcement to react.
Attorney General Jeremy Wright, the government's top legal officer, said international law must adapt to "changing times" where social media was used to inspire and train militants within a short space of time. The government's policy has come under scrutiny since an unprecedented RAF drone attack killed two Britons fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria in August 2015. In a major speech, Wright will set out how decisions are taken when Britain can act in "self-defence", including assessments of the immediacy, nature and probability of the suspected attack. "The situation we face today does not always allow for the possibility of using criminal law enforcement measures to stop attacks," he will say, according to extracts of the speech obtained by AFP.
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