Allegations over an alleged ISIL attack on UK Armed Forces Day have been put to one side as the government and the police urge the public to attend the event as normal.

The British based tabloid newspaper, The Sun claims that the terrorist group was planning to attack the parade using a pressure cooker bomb. The newspaper also claims that an ISIL chief in Syria unknowingly recruited an undercover investigator on the payroll of The Sun.

Defence secretary Michael Fallon believes that the annual commemoration is a "huge opportunity to salute the armed forces for the service and the sacrifice they make on behalf of us all and also to pay tribute to families who support them…the murders in Tunisia and the events in France and Kuwait are a very stark reminder we can never take our security for granted and of the debt we owe, which we salute today, to the armed forces who work around the clock to keep us safe”.

The Sun also claims that the ISIL leader from Syria, which their undercover investigator talked with, was originally from Birmingham. They claim the man was eager to strike Britain with a suicide attack. Following the claims by the tabloid newspaper, British ministers said they reviewed the safety concerns of the event, particularly after the atrocities in France, Tunisia and Kuwait.

A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: "The police, together with our security partners, remain alert to terrorist threats that may manifest here or where individuals overseas may seek to direct or inspire others to commit attacks in and against the UK…It is always helpful when journalists share with us information, as The Sun did in this case, that could indicate terrorist or criminal activity.”

The Armed Forces Day event is held across Britain, including in England and all over Scotland.

LM/MH