Teenage boy arrested on suspicion of sharing Islamist terrorist material

A 13-year-old teenage boy was detained in west London on Tuesday by officers from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command in suspicion of sharing Islamist terrorist material.

He has now been released on bail until mid-June.

Head of the Counter Terrorism Command, Commander Richard Smith, the number of teenagers being drawn into terrorism has been growing. It is feared that the increase in time spent online during lockdowns left more children vulnerable to being radicalised.

Cmdr Smith said: "While it is still very rare for such a young person to be arrested for a terrorism offence, in recent times we have seen a worrying increase in the number of teenagers being drawn into terrorism."

"This particular investigation remains ongoing, but more broadly, we work closely with a whole range of partners to try and protect and divert young, vulnerable people away from extremism and terrorism."