LONDON: A 13-year-old boy has been arrested in the UK over alleged terror offenses, according to London’s Metropolitan Police.
The Independent reported that the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is one of the youngest people ever detained in Britain in connection with terrorism allegations.
He was arrested in London on May 18 on suspicion of distributing terrorist material and later released on bail.
“The investigation relates to the alleged sharing of extreme Islamist material online,” a Met Police spokesperson said.
“Officers will work closely with partners from safeguarding agencies as the investigation continues.”
In 2021, a record 11 percent of all terrorism arrests in the UK were of minors under the age of 18.
Cmdr. Richard Smith, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “While it is still very rare for such a young person to be arrested for a terrorism offense, in recent times we have seen a worrying increase in the number of teenagers being drawn into terrorism.
“This particular investigation remains ongoing but, more broadly, we work closely with a whole range of partners to try and protect and divert young, vulnerable people away from extremism and terrorism.”