Terror groups recruit young in lockdown, warns Raab

CHILDREN are being recruited by terrorist organisations in “worrying numbers” during lockdown, the Foreign Secretary has warned.

Dominic Raab said Islamic State remained the most significant terrorist threat to the UK and, despite diminishing numbers, was still capable of carrying out lethal attacks.

Speaking in the Commons, he said terrorists had successfully exploited lockdown in order to increase their online recruitment and propaganda.

Mr Raab said: “In December 2020, the UK Counter-terrorism Referral Unit saw a seven per cent rise in the volume of terrorist content online and we can see a worrying rise in the proportion of children and teenagers now being arrested for terrorism offences.”

Meanwhile it was revealed that three terrorist plots had been foiled in Britain since the start of the pandemic.

Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, senior national coordinator for counter terrorism policing, warned the lifting of lockdown would provide extremists with more opportunities to strike, and urged the public to remain vigilant.

“When we say ‘Communities defeat terrorism’ it is not just a catchphrase,” he said. “We know from experience that public information and action helps saves lives and lead to the significant arrests detailed in these statistics.”

Figures show 185 people were arrested for terrorism offences in 2020, down 97 on the previous year and the lowest figure for nine years.

But the statistic included a record high number of home-grown terror suspects, with 81 per cent British or British dual nationals.

One in five people behind bars for terror offences in Britain last year were Right-wing extremists – the highest proportion since records began.

A total of 42 out of 209 prisoners in 2020 were classed as holding “extreme Right-wing” views, up from 18 per cent the previous year.