Days before a potential Biden visit, the UK elevates the danger level for terrorism in Northern Ireland.

The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland has been raised from "substantial" to "severe" just days before a potential visit to the country by US President Joe Biden. The decision was made after an increase in "activity relating to Northern Ireland-related terrorism" including the attempted murder of a high-profile police officer last month. Biden confirmed earlier this month he would visit Northern Ireland for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), which brought an end decades of sectarian violence between Irish republicans and unionists known as "The Troubles." The White House downplayed the terror threat change and said it would not prevent the president from visiting. The GFA anniversary falls on April 10, though Biden is likely to visit slightly later in the month. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA) was brokered with the assistance of then-President Bill Clinton, who will visit Northern Ireland to mark the occasion.

The GFA brought these communities together in a compromise that largely ended The Troubles. A key part of the agreement is that the country's power-sharing government must be comprised of politicians from both communities. However, the Northern Irish government has not sat since October of last year due to the fallout from the Brexit trade deal. The Democratic Unionist Party, the largest unionist party, doesn't like the status that the UK government's Brexit deal has imposed on them. It was agreed by both the UK and the EU during Brexit negotiations that there should be no hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Government of Northern Ireland (GFA) agreed that Northern Ireland would remain within the EU's regulatory sphere for goods and that goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK would be checked at a sea border. This, the DUP claims, puts at risk its place within the UK and forces Northern Ireland closer to the Republic of Ireland. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has negotiated a new deal for Northern Ireland, but this is still considered unacceptable by the DUP. The UK government is disappointed that the Northern Irish government will not be sitting during a potential Biden visit to mark the anniversary of an agreement that has saved lives and downgraded some previously active terror groups to petty crime gangs. Sunak and the EU are both adamant that the deal will not be renegotiated and continue to urge the DUP to support the deal and restore the power-sharing government.