According to security minister Damian Hinds this morning, there was an increase in radicalisation online during Covid lockdowns.
The terror threat has increased from severe to substantial in the aftermath of the attack on Liverpool. Mr Hinds suggested that this pandemic could have “exacerbated” the tendency of individuals to self-radicalize while locked up at home.
Sky News interviewed him and he stated that while people should remain vigilant, there are’multiple occasions when we can be protected from this. There have been more than 30 late-stage plot disturbances over the years.
If asked about the concerns of ‘lonewolves,’ Mr Hinds replied that he should be concerned.
He stated that he believes that there has been an increase in directed attacks over the years. These are individuals following specific instructions. Sometimes, these are quite complex. However, it is clear that they have moved from self-directed individual or small group self-radicalization.
They are not always completely alone. People talk to one other.
Damian Hinds, Security Minister said that the current pandemic had ‘exacerbated’ the problem of online radicalisation following the recent terror attack in Liverpool.
“Officially, people spent more time on computer screens during lockdown periods. And we know that radicalisation can occur when this happens to a small minority.
Sky’s Kay Burley was informed by him that online self-radicalization is not new. However, he said that lockdowns had shown that trends in online spending were being exacerbated. For some that means’very bad consequences.
Damian Hinds explained that “the truth is that you cannot always be pinpoint precise” when it comes to monitoring those who might be vulnerable to radicalisation.
According to the Home Office Minister, security services “strive to do so as much as possible to place support for individuals and identify people who might be in danger.”
Although he said he wasn’t drawing any inferences about mental health specifically, he stated to ITV’s Good Morning Britain that he recognized that mental issues can be linked with some very dark paths that individuals take.
“Obviously, for the vast, vast majority people with mental illness, that does not become a problem. But in a small, minority of cases it does and this is something that we must be continually working on.
He made these comments in response to the recent terror attack on the UK. Enzo Almeni, a suicide bomber was killed when a homemade ball-bearing device went off inside the taxi that he used to ride to Liverpool Women’s Hospital. This happened just seconds before Remembrance Sunday’s 11am hour’s silence.
The moment the taxi crashed outside of the hospital on Sunday was captured in shocking footage. It showed David Perry, the driver miraculously escaping with just minor injuries.
Pictured here: A taxi transporting an alleged suicide attacker exploded in front of a Liverpool Hospital. It is what the MI5 (police and MI5) are currently investigating as a Poppy Day terrorist attack
Hinds claimed that extremists are now being directed by small groups or individuals rather than following large-scale instructions.
Almeni was a Syrian refugee with Iraqi and Syrian heritage. He changed his name from Emad Jamil Al Swaalmeen to make it more Western. Almeni fled the Middle East several decades ago, and in 2017, he converted from Islam and Christianity. It is thought that he intended to attack the cathedral.
In connection to the terrorist attack yesterday, four men were arrested.
This was the second terror attack on the UK recorded in less than a month, after Sir David Amess from Southend West was attacked and killed by extremists while he was attending a constituency surgery held in Essex.
The Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit reported a 7 percent increase in the number of suspected terrorist contents online during 2020. There were several lockdowns by the Government to stop the rising coronavirus cases.
CTIRU reported that they had received approximately 3,000 suspected terrorist material this year. This is an increase of 2,796 reports in 2019.
The Institute of Strategic Dialogue published a report last month showing that global lockdowns had led to increased engagement with extremist material, including terrorist content, conspiracy theories, and disinformation.
Jacob Davey of the ISD claimed that research had shown that there was already a proliferation of dangerous and troubling online activity during the pandemic. It is not possible to predict its impact.
“What we have seen are evidence that there has been an increase in online activity on a variety of extremist topics during lockdown,” he said. The problem is not terrorist material. It’s a whole range of harms that people do online, and it was more common indoors.
After counter-terror officers stated that they were worried about online radicalisation, Dean Haydon, Deputy Assistant Commissioner (pictured), urged family members to help prevent their loved ones being radicalised by extremists online.
Damian Hinds, security minister was asked if it was correct to lower the terrorist alert level for February.
The Home Office Minister, speaking on BBC Breakfast, stated that these decisions were made independently by ministers and the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre.
“But, whether we are talking about severe or substantial, the threat level is high for quite some time. This is because there’s always the possibility of a horrible event or atrocity.
“It is essential to remain alert all the time. It’s fair that this level of alertness has been increased and is being monitored constantly.
The counter-terrorism police released a report earlier in the year that found that children were being arrested for terrorist offences. This is the highest number since records began almost 20 years ago.
Counter Terrorism Policing was prompted by these figures to ask parents and friends to help stop young people becoming radicalised through extremist content.
According to counter-terror police, while there was a decrease in terror arrests during Covid (in comparison with the normal number), this was due to lockdown which prevented police disrupting terrorist activities as usual and because they were worried about online extremist activity.
According to the force, the Covid-19 pandemic had led to a significant drop in terrorist arrests.
However, officers said that CTP use non-terrorism laws to arrest and disrupt terrorist activity and that the lockdown had made it harder for them to do this.
CTP experts stated that although fewer arrests were made, there has been an increase in online terrorist activity. Terrorist groomers are exploiting the fact vulnerable individuals have been spending more time online and have not had regular access to support factors like schools and social workers.
There is particular concern about young people, with the new statistics showing that while arrests across every other age group have declined – children were once again the only demographic to show an increase.