New head of MI5 named

The new head of MI5 has been named as Jonathan Evans, who will take over as director-general next month.

As head of MI5, Mr Evans will be responsible for leading the battle against terrorism within the UK.

The 49-year-old, who is the current deputy director-general of the Security Service, will succeed Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, who announced last year that she would be leaving the role in April after around four years in charge.

Mr Evans, a classics graduate from Bristol University, joined the Security Service in 1980, and spearheaded the fight against Irish republican terrorism in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Since 1999, he has been directly involved in combating the threat from Islamic extremism and international terrorism.

Mr Evans' appointment was made by Home Secretary John Reid, with the agreement of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

A statement said: "The Home Secretary, with the agreement of the Prime Minister, has today appointed Jonathan Evans, currently the deputy director-general of the Security Service, to be director-general of the service in succession to Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller.

"The appointment will take effect from April 8, 2007."

The profile of MI5 has changed hugely over the last few years since the days when the name of its director general was not even publicly known.

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