Report Reveals Most UK Terrorists are British Nationals

[Nek Muhammad]

According to a think-tank report, 69% of those convicted of terrorism related offences in the UK are British nationals who hold British passports.

On July 5, 2010, a report was published that showed that 69% of persons convicted of terror related offences in the UK were British Nationals or home grown terrorists.

The study, Islamic Terrorism, the British Connection, was done by the Centre for Social Cohesion, a non partisan think-tank that studies issues related to cohesion in British society. The organization studies human rights issues as well as radicalization and extremism in the UK. British security services estimate that there are 2,000 people in the country who pose a terrorist threat.

In May 2009, Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, inquiring into the 7/7 London bombings, severely criticized the government for not constructing a database of those who have been convicted of terror related crimes. The Committee said that such information was necessary in order to assess Britain’s anti-terror strategy and to make adjustments to the country’s anti-terrorism laws. The study was an attempt by the Centre of Social Cohesion to fill that gap.

Study Examined 124 Persons Convicted of Terror Related Offences
The report took over two years to complete and was carried out by examining court records as well as media reports. The authors of the study found that 124 people had been convicted of crimes in relation to terrorist plots or activities.

Of these 124 people, the oldest was 48 while the youngest was just 16. The average age of the convicted terrorists was 27. All but five of those convicted were men although the women involved were convicted of assisting plotters in such ways as obtaining false documents.

Of those who were convicted, almost one third (31%) of them had attended university at some point. Ten per cent of those examined were attending school when they were arrested. A little over one third of the persons who were convicted (35%) were receiving state assistance. And as far as the residence of the convicted terrorists, almost one half (48%) lived in London.

Family Origins of Convicted British Terrorists
The study also breaks down the 124 people by the country of origin of their families. Forty-six per cent of those convicted had origins in South Asia and within that category, 28% had their origins in Pakistan. And three quarters of the terrorist plots that have been discovered in the UK had individuals who had attended terrorist training camps in Pakistan.

The second highest group contained individuals who had origins in Somalia. While this number is relatively small, it illustrates the increase in terrorist activities in that east African failed state.

Almost one third of those who were convicted of terror related plots (32%) had some connection to an organized terror group. The two most common groups were Al Qaeda and al-Muhajiroun, a banned British group.

Sentences for Terror Related Activities
The most common range of sentences handed down for terrorist offences was between 13 months and four years (32%). One fifth of those sentenced received 10 years or more while 19% of those convicted were sentenced to life or an indefinite term in prison. Of those convicted, 60% of the 124 persons were convicted under Britain’s Anti-Terrorism Act, 2000.

The report also deals with British nationals who were either convicted of terrorism offences in another country or who were suicide bombers.

The report was released just two days before the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of July 7, 2005; the worst such attack ever to occur on British soil.