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ISIS terrorists are plotting attacks on the British Jewish community, the home secretary has warned.

Amber Rudd said Jews living in Britain have become a ‘desirable and legitimate’ target for the murderous terror group, also known as Daesh .

The MP was speaking to the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitism and provides security guards and equipment at hundreds of Jewish venues.

She pledged more than £13m of government money to protect Jews over the next two years.

(Image: Rex Features)

As well as warning of the imminent danger to Jews, Miss Rudd spoke about a rise in hate crime in general in Britain referencing the “senseless murder of our colleague” MP Jo Cox who was killed by extreme right-wing terrorist Thomas Mair last year.

Miss Rudd said: “We only need to look at recent events – bomb hoaxes and the desecration of Jewish graves in America and the evacuation of the Jewish museum in north London following a bomb threat, to know how important this type of work is every day.

“Keeping our country safe is the first responsibility of any government, but terrorism remains a significant threat to us all.

(Image: Reuters)

“As Max Hill, the new independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said last weekend, Britain faces a level of terror threat not seen since the IRA bombings of the 1970s.

“Since 2011, the number of terrorist attacks has increased globally, leading to a rise in the number of deaths and injuries. The most significant threat to the UK and our interests comes from Daesh .

“There have been terrorist attacks on our doorstep in France, Germany and Belgium and attacks on British people overseas too.

(Image: Getty Images Europe) (Image: Getty Images Europe)

“The murder of 30 British nationals in Sousse in Tunisia in June 2015 represented the greatest loss of British life in a terrorist incident since the London bombings in 2005.

“And we’ve seen terrorists target Jews specifically in recent years including in Paris, Brussels, Toulouse and Copenhagen.

“Just last month a 16-year-old girl was charged with terrorism offences in Denmark after she was caught planning to blow up a Jewish school.

“And Daesh literature continues to identify the Jewish community as a ‘desirable and legitimate’ target.”

Later in the speech she added: “There was a rise in the number of antisemitic hate crime incidents recorded last year - 1,309 were recorded, that’s 36% more than the year before.

“The most common type of incident involved verbal abuse randomly directed at visibly Jewish people in public as they went about their daily business.

“Wearing a kippah (skull cap), a sheitel (wig) or a Star of David is a sign of faith and it’s absolutely despicable if there are those who respond to these with aggression or abuse. And they will not get away with it.”

(Image: Rex Features) (Image: Rex Features)

She said there were 287 antisemitic incidents involving social media in 2016, compared to 185 the year before, adding that last month an internet troll who made antisemitic death threats to Labour MP Luciana Berger was jailed for 27 months.

The home secretary also warned far right and extreme right wing groups, although fragmented, have become “increasingly sophisticated in the ways they use social media for recruitment and promotion” and should not be ignored.

She said the government plans to tackle terrorism by dealing with “those who promote hatred, intolerance and violence” as well as protecting potential victims.

She revealed that in December she banned National Action, a “terrorist group with homophobic, antisemitic views whose members had celebrated the murder of Jo Cox” and said the government is providing £144m over five years to boost the country’s armed police.

She announced the government would continue providing funding for security at Jewish sites into next year to the tune of £13.4m, adding: “This money will go towards security guards and protection at independent and state Jewish schools, nurseries, synagogues and community sites.”

She ended her speech by saying: “If you feel threatened we will listen to you and if you are victimised we will defend you.

“And we will strive to build a Britain that Jews are proud to call home.”