Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has criticised "apologists" who tried to blame Britain's intelligence agencies for radicalising the Islamic State (IS) militant known as Jihadi John.
He condemned critics who try to "excuse" terrorists by pointing the finger of blame at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
"We are absolutely clear - the responsibility for acts of terror rests with those who commit them. But a huge burden of responsibility also lies with those who act as apologists for them," he said.
His comments appeared to be directed at Asim Qureshi, of campaign group Cage, who said it was MI5's attempts to recruit Mohammed Emwazi - recently revealed as Jihadi John - as an informer that led to him joining IS.
The agencies have been criticised for allowing the 26-year-old Londoner to travel to Syria - where he is believed to have beheaded Western hostages in videos - even though he had been known to MI5 since 2008.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute in London, Mr Hammond said agencies are currently facing an "unprecedented" level of challenge in the face of a wide range of global threats.
"The sheer number and range of cases, old and new, amounts to the greatest challenge to our collective security for decades and places unprecedented demands on those charged with keeping us safe," he said.
"The emergence of groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and (IS) in Syria, Iraq and Libya, simply serves to underline the pace with which the threats to our safety and security from this source are evolving.
"It is only thanks to the dedication, and in many cases the brilliance, of our intelligence officers that we have succeeded to detect and contain these threats."
Mr Hammond also highlighted the renewed threat posed by Russia - saying it was the "single greatest threat to Britain's security".
"We are now faced with a Russian leader bent not on joining the international rules-based system which keeps the peace between nations, but on subverting it," he said.
"President (Vladimir) Putin's actions - illegally annexing Crimea and now using Russian troops to destabilise eastern Ukraine - fundamentally undermine the security of sovereign nations in Eastern Europe."
During questions at the end of his speech, Mr Hammond was asked what efforts are being made to track down Emwazi.
He said: "What I can tell you is the murders of hostages in Syria are the subject of an ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation.
"And as you would expect I can't comment on any aspect of an ongoing police investigation I'm afraid."
He also said parents and schools have a responsibility to stop young people travelling abroad to take part in the conflict in Syria and Iraq.
The parents of three London schoolgirls believed to have entered Syria with the aim of joining IS are due to appear before the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee later, alongside the ambassador of Turkey.
Mr Hammond said he had spoken to Turkey's foreign minister about what action can be taken to stop would-be jihadists crossing the country's border with Syria.
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