London: More than 100 people have been convicted of Islamist terrorism offences related to Syria and Iraq, according to a new data released today. The research compiled by the BBC based on tracking the numbers of people from the UK who have been drawn into the conflict in the Middle East also shows that a rising number of women and girls are among those prosecuted for terrorism related crimes.
Of the 109 people convicted, 18 (16 per cent) were women and girls and over 85 per cent of those convicted have never been to Syria or Iraq. “We need to be acutely aware that if people can’t go to Syria — and we have certainly seen this in some of the cases we have prosecuted — they may plan a sort of an attack here instead or they may do more to radicalise other people here to attack so we need to be very aware of that,” Alison Saunders, director of public prosecutions, told the BBC.
The youngest to be convicted since 2014 was a 14-year-old schoolboy from Blackburn in north-west England when he incited an act of terrorism in Australia. British police say at least five terror plots have been foiled since March this year and 18 thwarted since 2013.
The people convicted in the UK in the last three years come from a wide cross section of society and include former prisoners, a hospital director and the son of a police officer. Married couples, siblings and a mother of six have also been prosecuted. British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a review of Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy following the terrorist attack on London Bridge last month, which claimed eight lives.
The move is expected to give police and security services more powers to deal with suspects. (PTI)
