14-year-old arrested for terrorism offence

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of possessing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

The child was arrested on 22 May as part of an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “This arrest is indicative of a continuing and concerning trend of young people being drawn into and involved in terrorist-related activity.

“Around a fifth of all those arrested for terrorism offences last year were aged under 18. That is why it is so important for parents, friends and family to be looking out for any warning signs that a child might be getting drawn into extremism or terrorism and to ‘ACT Early’ by contacting us for advice and support before it is too late.”