11 neo-Nazis arrested in UK anti-terror crackdown

Eleven people have been arrested in the UK as part of an anti-terror investigation into the banned neo-Nazi group 'National Action', Scotland Yard said today.
The arrests include people aged between 22 and 35 - of which six were nabbed from northwest England, two from South Wales, one from Wiltshire, and two from West Yorkshire, the Metropolitan Police said.
Eleven properties are being searched across England and Wales as part of the investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing North East and North West.
The arrests were a result of two separate investigations coordinated across a number of police forces, according to the Met's Neil Basu, senior national coordinator for counter- terrorism policing.

Basu said, "CT (Counter-Terrorism) policing is committed to tackling all forms of extremism that threatens public safety and security. The investigations relating to alleged extreme right-wing activity are pursued with the same level of resource and vigour as other ideologies, in order to bring suspected offenders before the courts".
"Today's arrests, while resulting from two separate investigations, have been coordinated by our officers across a number of forces. This maximises operational effectiveness for police and minimises disruption for the local communities," he said.

All those arrested are suspected to be members of National Action and of them six are also being questioned on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism and five are suspected of funding terrorism.

Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden, head of the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, said, "Those who promote extreme right-wing views are looking to divide our communities and spread hatred. This will not be tolerated and those who do so must be brought to justice".
National Action, an anti-semitic, white supremacist group, was banned as a terrorist organisation in December by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who described it as "a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation" at the time.
The arrests follow activity earlier this month by the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit, which resulted in three men, including two British soldiers, appearing in court, accused of being members of National Action.

The UK's Ministry of Defence said none of those arrested on Wednesday were military personnel.
A spokesperson said, "No serving armed forces personnel or veterans were arrested today by civil police as part of their coordinated activity against proscribed organisations".
Being a member of - or inviting support for - a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.