Two 15-year-old boys have been arrested at their homes in Ramsgate, Kent, on Thursday morning suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts related to the “extreme right”.
Kent Police confirmed that Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) have arrested the two boys on suspicion of preparing terrorism offences, and are being held at a police station in South East England after being detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act.
The arrests took place in the coastal town in the county of Kent — known as the ‘Garden of England’ — as part of pre-planned raids.
The BBC reports that the teenagers are being questioned in relation to alleged offences involving “extreme right” ideology.
Detective Superintendent Nigel Doak from CTPSE said: “We treat the threat from the extreme right in exactly the same way as any other threat.”
“I would like to reassure the local community that today’s arrests were pre-planned and intelligence-led, and there was no immediate threat to the public,” Det Supt Doak added.
“We are committed to tackling any and all ideologies which pose a threat to the public’s safety and security. We treat the threat from the extreme right in exactly the same way as any other threat.
“To defeat terrorism and all forms of extremism, CT Policing launched the national awareness campaign, ‘Make Nothing Happen’.”
Under the Action Counters Terrorism platform, the Make Nothing Happen campaign encourages the public to “act on their instincts” and report “suspicious activity, including all types of extremist behaviour”.