Record Number of Terror-Related Arrests in the UK

According to official figures, a record number of people have been arrested for terrorism-related offences. Figures indicate that in the wake of recent UK attacks, the number of terror-related arrests has risen by 68% – the highest since records began in 2001.

Last week, the UK Home Office announced that there were 379 arrests in Britain in the twelve months leading up to June.   Of this figure, 12 wee made in connection with the Westminster attack, 23 related to the Manchester Arena bombing and 21 arrests were related to the attack some time later at London Bridge. One arrest was related to the Finsbury Park attack in north London in June. During the same period the previous year, 226 people were arrested.

A breakdown of the figures show that 54 of the arrested suspects were women – the largest female proportion on record – and 17 people held were under the age of eighteen. There was also a sharp rise in the number of white suspects detained. That figure rose by 92% from 66 to 127. While more than three quarters of the arrests were related to international terrorism, there was a sharp rise in the number of arrests for domestic terrorism, with the figure increasing from 10 to 52. The 420% increase in terrorism with no international or Northern Ireland related links comes amidst mounting concern over far-right extremism. The figures show that of those who have been arrested, 32% result in a charge. Five hundred investigations, involving 3,000 individuals, are being run by the police and MI5 at any one time, with at last 20,000 former “subjects of interest” also being kept under review.

In the last four years, nineteen terrorist plots have been thwarted, including six since the Westminster attack in March. The current UK threat level for international terrorism is severe, which means that an attack is highly likely.