Gaza War was catalyst for radicalization – UK police

The war between Israel and Gaza has made more people in the UK support terrorism, according to the head of counter-terrorism police.

Matt Jukes said that there is a lot of online comments that are not true and are being spread by fake images, which is causing a big problem.

He said the conflict had a similar effect as the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

33 people have been arrested for terrorism related to Israel-Gaza.

These are people who are taken by the police because of things they said or wrote during protests. Police didn’t say if they found any plans for a terror attack.

The government thinks a terrorism attack is likely, but not certain.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes told reporters that a counter-terrorism unit has received 3,000 reports of suspicious activity online.

700 people had been found to have a connection to the UK, and they might have been breaking the law. A few kids, some as young as 11 and 12, were having worrisome talks.

“Matt Jukes said that all the stuff online is creating a dangerous atmosphere. ” It had caused a big change in people’s thinking, possibly leading them towards terrorism.

“He said this is not just empty talk, we are seeing clear signs of a big danger. ”

In 2023, more people were referred to the government’s Prevent program, which tries to stop radicalization and help those at risk. The number of referrals went up by 13%.

Mr Jukes said that terrorist attacks might not happen right away and that becoming radicalized can take a long time.

He said, “When I sit in my seat, I see that some things are not going well. ”

Detectives are most worried about the possibility of an attack from one person who might be unstable and have mental health issues.

Unit that deals with crimes committed during wars.

A group of over 20 officers is focused on looking into possible war crimes, including claims about Israel-Gaza.

This has gotten 92 people talking about the conflict, with 73 of them being against Israel and 19 against Hamas. Research is still in the early stages of review.

The police are being criticized for using their time and money to investigate serious crimes like torture, genocide, and other human rights violations.

However, high-ranking officers say that out of every £100 spent on counter-terrorism policing, only 30p is used to investigate war crimes.

Mr Jukes said that we should not let the UK be a safe place for people who have committed crimes during a war.

High-ranking officials also state that the UK must help the International Criminal Court and investigate the deaths of British people.

Detectives have a problem because they might get some evidence that war crimes happened, but no one saw it happen.

Information usually comes from law firms, charities, and people involved in a conflict.

Unfriendly countries

The counter-terrorism team is also facing a greater danger from unfriendly countries, mostly Russia, Iran, and China.

An Austrian man named Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev was sent to prison for three years. He was caught by security guards doing suspicious activities at an Iranian media company in Chiswick, London. The media company had received threats because of its reporting on Iran.

The police are worried that other countries are hiring criminals in the UK to do illegal things. This is because criminal groups can easily work in different countries and transport weapons.

A new team has been created to stop unfriendly countries from causing harm. They work closely with the security and secret intelligence services, MI5 and MI6.