Far-Right Extremists Behind Terror Surge, Under-20s Now a Third of Suspects
Far-right extremist prisoners in the UK have hit record numbers, while youngsters under 20 now make up a whopping one-third of terror arrests. New Home Office stats reveal grim shifts in the terror threat landscape.
Terror Arrests Up, Youth Involvement Skyrockets
In the year ending September 2022, police nabbed 190 people on suspicion of terrorism-related offences. A startling 33% (63 suspects) were aged 20 or younger, including 32 kids under 18. That’s a major jump from the previous year, where just 22% of suspects were under 21.
Far-Right Ideology Soars as Islamist Threat Dips
Out of 239 terrorism inmates locked up by September 2022, 65% (155) held Islamist-extremist views — down sharply from 94% in 2015. Meanwhile, far-right extremists rocketed to 28% (66 prisoners) from just 4% seven years ago.
Eight percent (18 prisoners) didn’t fit any clear extremist ideology. MI5 boss Ken McCallum said last month Islamist-inspired terror still dominates about three-quarters of their cases. But he warned right-wing terror is “sadly here to stay” — with suspects as young as 13 now on the radar.
Online Radicalisation Fuels Terror Threat
A Ministry of Justice report analysed 437 convicted extremists and flagged the internet as a growing driver of radicalisation. Female offenders and those over 25 showed the biggest rise in online extremism.
The study found a third of offenders had mental health or personality disorders, with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and depression common among those radicalised online.
The chilling data highlights the evolving face of terror in the UK — younger suspects, far-right growth, and the dark web’s deadly influence.
