More whites than Asians in terror arrests

THE NUMBER of white terror suspects being arrested is higher than those who are Asian for the first time since the July 7 bombings in 2005.

Of those held in swoops by counterterror police in the year to June, 133 were white – the largest ethnic group – while 129 were recorded as being of Asian ethnic background, according to Home Office figures published yesterday.

The proportion of white individuals among those held on suspicion of terrorrelated offences increased from 34 per cent to 38 per cent. For Asians it fell from 44 per cent to 37 per cent.

It comes amid a recent crackdown on far-right extremism. The rise has coincided with fears over the risk posed by white supremacist groups since the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in June 2016.

Authorities have expressed concern that there has been a resurgence in neo-Nazi groups after loner Thomas Mair, 55, was convicted of the brutal killing. In February, Darren Osborne was jailed for life for attacking Muslim worshippers with a van in Finsbury Park, North London.

Police have been actively cracking down on banned far- right group National Action, the highly secretive neo-Nazi organisation that also had links to Mrs Cox’s murder.

Counter-terror police have said that while the threat was not of the same gravity as that posed by Islamic State or AlQaeda, extreme right-wing groups were provoking violence and sowing discord.