LONDON, 26 April 2006 – The terrorism threat escalated in five countries during the course of 2005, according to the 2006 Terrorism Threat Map, released by Aon Limited today.  Those countries included Egypt, downgraded for the second year in succession following the attacks in Sharm al Sheikh last summer, and Denmark which also suffered a second consecutive downgrade as a result of increasing threats during the year, even before the furore caused by the cartoons incident. The wedding attacks in Jordan also led to that country suffering a downgrade.
 
Despite the July bombings in London last year, the city’s terrorism threat rating remains unchanged. “London’s ‘elevated’ rating was not affected by last July’s terrorist attacks. It was not a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ an attack would occur and that threat remains”, explained Paul Bassett, executive director of Aon’s Crisis Management Division, at a press briefing to launch the 2006 Terrorism Threat Map.
 
While the threat of terrorism worldwide is not diminishing, its nature is changing.  “The war on global terrorism has severely impacted the capabilities of large groups such as Al Qaeda to mount another 9/11-style attack,” Mr Bassett added.  “This has led to an increase in smaller groups who are more likely to go for softer targets.”

 
“The London bombings highlighted the changing nature of terrorism”, said Justin Priestley, director of Aon’s Crisis Management Division. “The deployment of suicide bombers to launch the attacks was a complete change from the traditional terrorism methods used by the likes of the IRA with which London is only too familiar.”

This change in tactics needs a corresponding change in the attitude of businesses to their risk management strategies, according to Mr Priestley. “Businesses need to keep abreast of developments in the terrorist world,” he said. “Ever increasing awareness of the terrorism threat makes an imperative of careful planning. Many businesses have woken up to the risk of material damage but they are still not paying enough attention to their liability to employees and visitors to their premises. They need to adopt a balanced approach tailored to their own particular needs. They must also ensure that they have robust plans and procedures in place and people competently trained to carry them through effectively,” he added.

A new feature of this year’s Terrorism Threat Map is the inclusion of ratings for maritime piracy. “Proactive government policy and subsequent action has led to a decline in incidents of maritime piracy internationally with the exception of two notable hotspots”, said Mr Bassett.  “Attacks on shipping by pirates off the coast of Somalia rose to 35 in 2005 from just two the previous year, while 10 incidents took place off the coast of Iraq. Neither country has the infrastructure or the inclination to take action to prevent further incidents,” he added.
 

Notes for editors:
The following countries have been downgraded for 2006:
Denmark
Egypt
Jordan
Mauritania
Uzbekistan
Upgrades include:
Bangladesh
Burundi
Colombia
Georgia
Haiti
India
Nepal
Somalia
 
Methodology:
The aim of the Terrorism Threat Map is to show, in objective form, the insurance market’s perception and therefore likely pricing of risks in a particular country. The map’s ratings are an amalgam of the various perceptions of threat in each country and are based on the views of underwriters, security analysts and Aon brokers’ own experience from talking to various markets. 

 
The map assesses the ‘threat’ but does not take account of mitigation, ie the effectiveness of local counter-terrorism or security force infrastructure.
 
The ratings apply to each country as a whole. There are geographical variations. For instance, in the US, the centre of Manhattam would be at much higher risk than rural parts of New York state. Cities at particular risk are highlighted on the map. 

 
Contact:
For more information contact:
Sally Coode-Bate, Aon Press Office
Tel:  020 7505 7478
 
Louisa Hollins/Giles Read, Financial Dynamics  
Tel:  020 7269 7108
 
 
About Aon
Aon Corporation ( http://www.aon.com ) is a leading provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, human capital and management consulting, and specialty insurance underwriting. There are 47,000 employees working in Aon's 500 offices in more than 120 countries. Backed by broad resources, industry knowledge and technical expertise, Aon professionals help a wide range of clients develop effective risk management and workforce productivity solutions.
 
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