A 43-year-old man has been arrested in west London as part of an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command. The arrest comes after online posts allegedly showed support for Hamas, a proscribed terrorist organization.
The investigation began on June 4 when Counter Terrorism Policing received a public referral regarding the suspect’s online activity. Specialist officers from the national Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit assessed the posts, which were then passed to detectives within the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command for further scrutiny.
The suspect was taken into police custody on suspicion of supporting a terrorist organization, a violation of section 12 of the Terrorism Act, 2000. Simultaneously, officers conducted a search at an address in west London as part of the ongoing investigation.
Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, emphasised the importance of public vigilance: “Since the tragic attacks in Israel last October and the subsequent conflict, we have seen a significant increase in extremist and terrorist material reported by the public. Each referral is carefully assessed, and if it constitutes a potential terrorism offence in the UK, we take further action. Our goal is to identify, arrest, and bring those responsible to justice.”
The arrested man has been released on bail pending further inquiries, with a court date set for September. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities continue to monitor online activity related to proscribed groups.
