May calls on world to fight online jihadists

THERESA May will make an impassioned plea to world leaders today to combat the spread of vile terrorist propaganda on the internet.

She will warn that jihadi fanatics are taking their war against Western nations online to propagate their hate-filled ideology.

She will tell the G7 world leaders’ summit in Sicily that they must unite to put pressure on internet giants such as Google, Twitter and Facebook to meet their “moral responsibility” in rooting out extremism on social media.

And she will say social media firms must hand over online material that could identify extremists or face being “held to account”.

Her warning, just days after the Manchester suicide bombing, will come in an address to US President Donald Trump and other leaders in Taormina, Sicily.

Mrs May will say that Islamic State [Daesh] fanatics are intensifying their use of online propaganda as their military strength is being smashed by allied attacks in Iraq and Syria.

“The threat we face is evolving rather than disappearing as Daesh loses ground in Iraq and Syria,” the Prime Minister will tell the G7.

“The fight is moving from the battlefield to the internet.”

The use of social media to groom potential terrorists and instruct them in bomb making was highlighted by the Manchester attack.

Ministers believe social media firms are still not doing enough to remove potentially harmful material or inform security services about suspected extremists.