A 21-year-old man from Bath has been arrested following a national operation by the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, as part of an ongoing right-wing terrorism investigation.
Police have arrested three men, the 21-year-old from Bath, a 17-year-old from London and an 18-year-old from Portsmouth, on terrorism charges.
The arrests, which were made by officers from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, were pre-planned.
The 21-year-old man from Bath was arrested on suspicion of Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, possession of material likely to be useful to someone committing or preparing an act of terrorism, and for an offence of conspiracy to inspire racial and religious hatred.
He remains in police custody and will be interviewed in due course. A search of a property in the city has also been completed as part of the inquiry.
Chief Inspector Steve Kendall, area commander for Bath and North East Somerset, said: Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of everyone in Bath and the wider force area and I’d like to reassure people there was no immediate threat to the public when the arrest took place this morning.
“Actions which inspire racial or religious hatred will not be tolerated and anyone engaged in such criminality will always be dealt with robustly.”
The 17-year-old from London was arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism, dissemination of terrorist publications, and conspiracy to inspire racial or religious hatred.
The 18-year-old, from Portsmouth, was arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism and dissemination of terrorist publications.
Yesterday, a BBC investigation alleged a university student originally from Bath and a teenager from London are among those involved with a UK version of a violent American neo-Nazi group, linked to five murders.
It is believed this morning’s arrests are linked to the neo-Nazi group, but not in response to the BBC’s story about Sonnenkrieg.
Anyone with any concerns can call their local neighbourhood team via 101.
