Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

White terror suspects overtake Asians in UK

The number of white terror suspects arrested by British counter-terrorism officers has overtaken Asians for the first time in over a decade, according to new figures released by the UK Home Office.

Indicating a growing threat from far-right extremism in the country, figures released on Thursday show a total of 351 arrests were made over the past year until June 2018 where terrorism-related activity was suspected, with 133 of them white and 129 recorded as Asian ethnic appearance.


This was the first time, since the year ending June 2005, that the proportion of white people arrested has exceeded the proportion of Asian people arrested, a Home Office statement noted.

White people arrested on suspicion of terrorism accounted for 38 per cent of terrorist-related arrests in the latest period – an increase of 4 percentage points on the previous year.

There were falls in the proportion of arrests of those of Asian ethnic appearance, down seven percentage points to 37 per cent, and those of black ethnic appearance, down two percentage points to 9 per cent, the Home Office said.

As part of wider data collated within the Home Office document titled 'Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation', it emerged that the UK police had arrested 60 people who gave their “self-defined nationality” as Indians on suspicion of terrorist-related activity since September 2001, when such data collation began.

India ranks ninth among the UK’s top nationalities for the number of such arrests over the last 17 years, with Great Britain (2,542), Alegria (186), Pakistan (165), Iraq (158), Afghanistan (89), Iran (84), Somalia (77), Turkey (76) and Ireland (44) completing the top 10.

"Since 11 September 2001 (when the data collection began), 60 per cent of those arrested considered themselves to be of British or British dual nationality,” notes the Home Office.

The figures also reveal a total of 100 people went to trial in the year ending June 30 this year – an increase of 39 per cent on the previous year. Of those, 90 were convicted, the highest number since data collection began in 2009.

Out of the 92 individuals charged with a terrorism-related offence, 48 were prosecuted, and 46 of those were convicted and two were found not guilty.

"We may have seen a reduction in the number of arrests in the last 12 months, but we should put that in context by saying that we prevented 13 Islamist-related and four extreme right-wing plots since March 2017, so it certainly doesn't indicate a reduction in the threat we all face from terrorism,” said deputy assistant commissioner Dean Haydon, Scotland Yard’s counter-terror police senior national coordinator.

The latest figures cover the use of anti-terrorism powers in Britain and reveal that 234 arrests were registered in the "international" category. This includes suspected activity linked to or motivated by terrorist groups abroad such as Islamic State (ISIS).

“There have been steady increases in recent years in the number of terrorist prisoners across all the types of ideologies covered, although the number of Islamist extremist prisoners saw a slight decrease, for the first time, of 4 per cent, to 178 in custody,” the Home Office said.

Of those in custody, 82 per cent were categorised as holding Islamist extremist views, a further 13 per cent as holding far-right ideologies and 6 per cent other ideologies.

"The proportion of prisoners holding far-right ideologies has increased steadily over the past three years, with the number up from 10 to 28 in the latest year," it adds.

More For You

Iran-Israel-Getty

Smoke rises from a location allegedly targeted in Israel's wave of strikes on Tehran, Iran, on early morning of June 13, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Israel strikes Iran nuclear sites, top military officials killed

ISRAEL carried out a series of airstrikes on Iran on Friday, targeting nearly 100 locations, including nuclear sites and military command centres. The strikes killed senior officials, including the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists, according to Iranian reports.

In response, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel would face a "bitter and painful" outcome. The Iranian military said there would be "no limits" to its response.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air-India-crash-site-Getty

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel inspect the site after Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad, on June 13, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Air India crash: Rescue teams search site where at least 265 died

RESCUE teams with sniffer dogs searched the crash site on Friday after an Air India flight heading to London crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad, killing at least 265 people on board and on the ground.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed on Thursday. One person survived the crash, which left the tail of the aircraft lodged in the second floor of a hostel housing medical staff from a nearby hospital.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jamie and Fiongal Meek

Known for their calming presence and warm guidance

Instagram/ wellnessfoundry

Air India crash: Spiritual guides Jamie and Fiongal among victims

Jamie Meek and his husband Fiongal Greenlaw‑Meek, both based in London, are believed to be among the victims of the Air India Express flight that crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.

The couple, well known within the UK’s spiritual and LGBTQ+ communities, had been travelling in India and had built a strong following through their work at The Wellness Foundry – a platform offering tarot readings, energy healing, and spiritual development. Their gentle presence and guidance had earned them deep respect from followers across the country.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan, Iran step up Afghan expulsions; UN voices concern

Afghan families wait in Takhta Pul after returning from Pakistan last Wednesday (4)

Pakistan, Iran step up Afghan expulsions; UN voices concern

MORE than 200,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the government renewed a deportation drive in April, with Iran also stepping up expulsions of Afghans.

Generations of Afghans have fled to neighbouring Pakistan and Iran during decades of successive wars, seeking safety and better economic opportunities.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer’s India trip to cement landmark UK-India trade deal

David Lammy meets prime minister Narendra Modi in Delhi last Saturday (7)

Starmer’s India trip to cement landmark UK-India trade deal

FOREIGN secretary David Lammy has said prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s upcoming visit to India paves the road for “a very, very exciting new era” as both leaders are expected to formally sign the free trade agreement (FTA).

Lammy visited India last Saturday (7), when he met prime minister Narendra Modi and foreign secretary S Jaishankar in Delhi. The foreign secretary previously travelled to Pakistan in May, following the attack in Indian Kashmir in April.

Keep ReadingShow less