MI5 Defending COVID-19 Vaccine Research from Hostile Foreign States

Thames House, the headquarters of the British Security Service (MI5) is seen in London, on Oct. 22, 2015. Peter Nicholls/Reuters

MI5 has been working to protect UK research on COVID-19 vaccines from theft or sabotage by hostile foreign states, the head of the security agency has revealed.

In his first media appearance since taking over as MI5 director-general in April, Ken McCallum said on Wednesday that, while MI5’s largest mission remains countering terrorism, its 2020 agenda “has been dominated by the pandemic.”