Second man arrested at Stansted on suspicion of extreme right-wing terrorism
Police made an arrest on Sunday
A second man has been arrested on suspicion of extreme right-wing terrorism as he attempted to board a flight at Stansted Airport.
The Metropolitan Police said that the 44-year-old was detained on Sunday (5 December) on suspicion of possession of an article for a purpose connected with terrorism, and collecting information of a kind likely to be useful for terrorism.
It followed the separate arrest of a 26-year-old man at the same airport on Friday, again on suspicion of right-wing extremism.
Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "This is the second terrorism arrest made at this airport in the last week and while the two arrests are not connected in any way, they show how active we are at airports and other ports in and around London and the UK.
"Every day, officers work with a range of partners to investigate potential terrorist threats, and take action to keep people safe. We continue to urge the public to stay vigilant and report anything that might be linked to terrorism to police."
Police chiefs have expressed concern about the number of people who have potentially been radicalised while spending more time online during lockdown.
There has also been an apparent surge in extreme right-wing beliefs, particularly among the young.
In the year to March 2021, 13% of suspects arrested for terrorism offences were aged under 18, compared with 5% the previous year. Children were also the only age group to show an increase in this period.
Of the 21 children arrested up to March 2021, 15, or 71%, were linked to extreme right-wing beliefs, and the proportion has been growing since 2015.
In that year, less than 20% of under-24s were held for far-right beliefs, rising to 60% in 2020.