If it were true, it would be a stunning admission. Bearing in mind that the role of MI5 is to protect the British people from domestic threats, Rimington's comments suggest that MI5 has utterly failed to do its job.
Coverage in the corporate media is predictably unquestioning, as they promote the notion that she is "invoking the wartime spirit".
In fact she, and they, are promoting the Clash of Civilisations ideology - the idea that the days of clear battle lines are gone. No-one can be trusted, in fact, and any community could harbour people ready to kill at the drop of a hat. She said:
The community has the responsibility to act as the eyes and ears, as they did during the war … where there were all these posters up saying the walls have ears and the enemy is everywhere.
There have often been indications in the community, whether it’s Muslim or anywhere else, that people are becoming extremists and spouting hate phrases.
She called for people to inform on their neighbours and gave support to Tory plans to give the police and seurity services the power to monitor every email, telephone call and web visit. She went on to say that unless the country becomes a "police state", then further attacks are inevitable.
Rimington, and the media, are doing all they can to incite tension and fear. While no action which results in the harm of another is to be excused, we would be foolish to fall for what is clearly an attempt to incite hatred and tension between communities.