11 arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences
TWO men from Swansea have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. The men were both arrested over links to the extreme right-wing group National Action.
A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation under Section 11 of the Terrorism Act, and under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act, on suspicion of possession of terrorism material/documents.
A 23-year-old man was also arrested under Section 11.
They are two of 11 people arrested yesterday morning across England and Wales as part of a national investigation into the group National Action.
National Action is an extreme right-wing group which was proscribed in the UK in December 2016.
As part of co-ordinated activity, officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East and North West, supported by Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit and Wiltshire Police, have also arrested six men from the north west of England, one of whom has been produced from prison, two men from West Yorkshire and one from Wiltshire.
Eleven properties are being searched across a number of force areas in England and Wales.
The arrests follow activity earlier this month by West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, who is responsible for counter-terrorism policing for the North West, said: “We are committed to taking positive action such as this to remove those connected to organisations, such as National Action, from our communities.
“Individuals involved in proscribed organisations who support extremist ideologies bring damaging consequences to local communities, but with the help of the public and our partners, we will do everything we can to bring these people to justice.
“All information received will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and can be passed to us anonymously by calling the Anti-Terrorism Hotline on 0800 789 321”
The senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, for the Metropolitan Police, said: “CT policing is committed to tackling all forms of extremism that threaten public safety and security. Investigations relating to alleged extreme right-wing activity are pursued with the same level or resource and vigour as other ideologies, in order to bring suspected offenders before the courts.
“Today’s arrests, while resulting from two separate investigations, have been co-ordinated by our officers across a number of forces. This maximises operational effectiveness and minimises disruption for the local communities.”