DOZENS of children were nicked for alleged terror offences last year.
Nearly 250 suspected extremists were arrested in 2024 — 11 per cent up on the previous year — according to Home Office figures.
And 39 of them were children under 17.
Of the arrests under the Terrorism Act, 84 suspects have so far been charged, 117 released under investigation and 43 freed without charge.
As of last December, 257 lags were in prison for terrorism offences, the most since records began in 2015.
Most — 61 per cent — of those locked up hold Islamist-extremist views, while 30 per cent were extreme right-wingers.
Yesterday’s Home Office statistics showed the number of female arrests almost doubled in a year, rising from 27 to 48.
Since September 2001 when data was collected following the 9/11 attacks, 3,599 British nationals have made up 63 per cent of all arrests.
Algeria was next with 198 nationals, followed by 190 Iraqis, 179 Pakistanis and 105 Iranians.
Stop-and-searches under the Terrorism Act fell to their lowest level ever last year, with just 71 people intercepted by cops.
In 2011 there were more than 1,000 and the number had been steadily falling since 2017.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the arrest figures “show the ongoing efforts from our police and intelligence services in keeping us all safe from the threat of terrorism”.
He added: “I’d like to thank them for their tireless, important work.
“We will always ensure that they have the necessary tools and resources to tackle radicalisation and protect the public.”
Dozens of children were nicked for alleged terror offences last year[/caption]
