A police officer has been arrested on suspicion of “supporting Hamas” by Counter Terrorism Police.
The cop, who is in his 30s, was transferred to a police custody unit outside of Gloucestershire while specialist officers conducted “a number of searches” related to their investigation, including a vehicle and an address in Gloucester.
Gloucestershire Police stated he was held in a property in the region “on suspicion of providing support for a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 – namley Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah (Hamas)”. The force added that the support relates to “activity online”.
Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson said: “The arrest of a serving officer on suspicion of such a serious offence will no doubt cause our communities concern, as it does everyone who works for Gloucestershire Police.
“It’s important to note the suspected support relates to activity online and the searches taking place are predominately to locate digital devices for analysis. The arrest has been made to allow for a prompt and effective investigation to take place and we must not draw any conclusions at this stage.”
In 2021, the UK government recognised Hamas as a terrorist group. This means that belonging to or inviting support for the group is a criminal offence under UK law. Offenders can face up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine.
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