FIVE men, including four serving members of the British Army, have been arrested under the Terrorism Act on suspicion of being members of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action.
Four of the men, including the civilian, were arrested in the UK, while a fifth suspect, who is understood to be in the Royal Anglian Regiment, was detained in Cyprus.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed he was detained by the Royal Military Police at a British base on the island before being transferred to RAF Akrotiri, from where he will be flown to the UK.
The MoD said those detained in the UK – a 22-year-old from Birmingham, a 32-year-old from Powys, a 24-year-old from Ipswich and a 24-year-old from Northampton – were being held in a West Midlands police station on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000; namely on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organisation.
An Army spokesman said: “We can confirm that a number of serving members have been arrested under the Terrorism Act for allegedly being associated with a proscribed far-right group.
“These arrests are the consequence of a Home Office police force-led operation supported by the Army. This is now the subject of a civilian police investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
A statement from West Midlands Police said: “The arrests were pre-planned and intelligence-led; there was no threat to the public’s safety.”
Terror cops from the force were understood to be carrying out searches on properties associated with the four men. Home Secretary Amber Rudd banned National Action last December saying the group was a “racist, antisemitic and homophobic organisation which stirs up hatred, glorifies violence and promotes a vile ideology”.
“I am clear that the safety and security of our families, communities and country comes first,” she said at the time.
Being a member of one of the 71 groups proscribed by the Home Office is a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
This paper was one of the first to write about National Action, which was active in Scotland, organising “white-only” soup kitchens. Members often photographed themselves outside prominent buildings in Scotland giving Nazi salutes. The group held a “Miss Hitler” pageant, and put up racist stickers in some parts of the country.
According to the anti-racist group Hope Not Hate, National Action had fewer than 100 members.
It was when they posted videos on YouTube of a secret training camp in Scotland where members took part in boxing matches and weapons training that alarm bells started ringing with the authorities.
Members and supporters applauded the murder of Jo Cox MP and the group later adopted the slogan – “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain!” – which was the declaration made by Cox’s killer Thomas Mair when asked to give his name in court.
Recently, members of the group in Scotland have resurfaced under a new name, Scottish Dawn.
Hope Not Hate was sceptical that banning National Action would in any way hamper the right-wingers.
In a statement, it said:“We maintain that in spite of any police action against individuals carried out today, the group still continues under a number of different names and guises.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here