UK Terror-Related Arrests Reach Record High

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The number of terror suspects apprehended in Britain has reached a record high, fueled by a surge in arrests related to international terror, according to official figures released Thursday.

A Home Office (interior ministry) report said there were 315 terror-related arrests in the year to September -- an increase of a third over the preceding 12 months.

There was a 31-percent increase to 238 in the number of arrests on suspicion of international-related terror offenses, the figures showed.

The number of women arrested more than doubled from 21 to 50, while the number of under-18s detained jumped from eight to 15.

"The majority of the increase in the number of women getting arrested has been linked to international-related terrorism," the Home Office said.

Of those arrested, four out of five were British or held British dual nationality -- up from 56 percent when data collection began on September 11, 2001.

"There was a 41 percent increase in the number of persons arrested who considered themselves to be Asian, and a 25 percent increase in the number that considered themselves to be white," the report said.

Some 51 people faced prosecution for terror-related offenses in the year to September, up from 30 in the previous year.

Of those, 43 were convicted -- 28 having pleaded guilty -- and eight were acquitted.

"We are determined to detect, disrupt and where possible prosecute all terrorist threats to the UK," said Security Minister John Hayes.

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