Met Police officer arrested on suspicion of far-right terror offences
5 March 2020, 17:19
A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested by counter-terror police on suspicion of being a member of a banned far-right group.
The 21-year-old police constable, who works in "frontline policing", was arrested under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) at a north London address.
He has been taken to a south London police station, where he remains in custody.
The property where he was arrested is currently being searched.
A spokesperson for the Met said the arrest relates to suspected membership of a banned organisation linked to right-wing terrorism.
Officers from the service's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) have been informed and the officer's status is "under review."
The Met confirmed the case has been referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) and added there is "nothing to suggest there is any threat to wider public safety."
Last month, MPs supported a ban on membership of a number of proscribed right-wing groups.
A banning order was issued which made joining Sonnenkrieg Division illegal in the UK, as well as recognising System Resistance Network as an alias of the already proscribed neo-Nazi group National Action.
Anyone found to be a member of, or offering support to, the banned groups can face up to 10 years in jail.
