There is no specific intelligence to suggest that Northern Ireland faces an imminent terrorist threat, the PSNI chief constable has said.
In the wake of the attacks in London and at Glasgow airport, Sir Hugh Orde said Northern Ireland faces a general threat which exists throughout the United Kingdom.
He called for the public to be vigilant and announced that patrols and airport security had been stepped up at Belfast's two airports, ferry ports and other potential targets.
In his first appearance at Stormont as Northern secretary, Shaun Woodward said it was ironic that a threat had emerged from a source unconnected with Ireland.
"This critical threat is from a group of extremists who have nothing to do with Northern Ireland," he said. "They pose a threat to the people of Northern Ireland in a way that is totally different."
The DUP said Northern Ireland's peripheral position in the UK did not mean the threat was diminished. Strangford Assembly member Simon Hamilton said al-Qaeda made no distinction between Belfast and any city in Britain. "Simply because Northern Ireland is on the geographical fringes of the United Kingdom does not mean that we are immune to Islamic terror," he said. "In fact, it is worth remembering that the United Kingdom's first ever court case involving an al-Qaeda suspect took place in Northern Ireland when an individual was sentenced to six years after having been discovered downloading bomb making instructions from the internet."
He said Mr Woodward's first responsibility "is to protect the people" and he should act decisively "to ensure that Northern Ireland is as well guarded against terror as anywhere else in the UK".
Mr Woodward said an objective was to ensure the devolution of policing and justice powers to the new Executive under the timetable envisaged by the St Andrews Agreement last October.
Unionists have disputed the likelihood of the devolution of justice powers before next May, but the transfer remains a key Sinn Féin demand.
Mr Woodward said he could "see no reason to think this cannot be delivered by people in Northern Ireland" but he would not commit himself to any target date, pledging instead in the short term to meet all the parties.
"It is the people of Northern Ireland who want this to happen, whether it is the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, whether it is the chief constable or its politicians in the Executive and the Assembly, they are all here to serve the people."
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness welcomed Mr Woodwood's statement and said all sides should co-operate to ensure the St Andrews timetable is met. Mr McGuinness and First Minister Ian Paisley meet Mr Woodward for their first official talks today.
Mr McGuinness linked his call for the devolution of justice powers and the emergence of the critical threat in Britain to call for co-operation between the Stormont parties to ensure the people were fully protected.