Terror arrests hit an all-time high

The number of terrorism-related arrests in the UK reached a record high in the 12 months leading to March 2018, due to large-scale attacks in London and Manchester.

Figures from the Home Office show that there were 441 arrests for terrorism-related activity in those 12 months - 17 per cent more than the 378 seen in the year prior.

The Manchester Arena attack in May saw 23 arrests, while 21 were arrested in connection with the London Bridge incident 11 days later.

Seven were arrested in connection to the Parson Green attack in September, leaving just the single arrest for the Finsbury Park Mosque attack.

Out of the 441 arrested for terrorism-related activity, 114 persons were charged with a terrorism-related offence, resulting in 41 prosecutions, of which 39 were convicted. Meanwhile, 67 people were awaiting trial at the end of March.

As a result, UK prisons are holding three times as many far-right terrorists as they did this time last year - 29, up from nine the year before.

Out of the 228 people imprisoned for terror offences in the UK, 82 per cent of them are Islamist extremists, followed by 13 per cent far-right and six per cent driven by other ideologies including those linked to Northern Ireland.

A bulletin from the Home Office read: “There have been steady increases in recent years in the number of terrorist prisoners across all the types of ideologies covered.

“The proportion of prisoners holding far-right ideologies has increased steadily over the past three years.”