The latest figures on terrorism arrests made in the UK in 2025 have been released, showing that more people are in custody for terrorist offences than ever before.
New data released today by the Home Office has shown that there were 255 terrorism-related arrests* between 01 January and 31 December 2025, an increase of 2% compared with the previous year’s 250.
In the latest data-set, the number of arrests [2,779] for proscription offences relating to Palestine Action is also included. Our latest statement on Palestine Action is here.
The data when not including Palestine Action results, shows that there continues to be a significant number of young people involved in our casework, with 39 people aged 17 and under being arrested in connection with counter terrorism investigations in 2025, down just one from 40 the previous year.
While men and boys still make up the highest volume of arrests – 92% of the overall number – the number of women and girls being arrested has more than halved from 19% in 2024 to 8% in 2025. As of the end of 2025, there were 267 people in custody for terrorism and terrorism connected offences in Great Britain; this is the highest number since comparable records began, surpassing the previous peak of 266 people the year before.
Senior National Coordinator for Prevent and Pursue at Counter Terrorism Policing, Vicki Evans, said: “The latest statistics are a stark reminder of the enduring threat of terrorism, and how important it is that we continue to detect and disrupt plots against our communities.
“During 2025 we saw some significant results through the courts, with life sentences handed out to those who had planned the most atrocious attacks but were thankfully foiled by the efforts of Counter Terrorism Policing officers and staff. One of these was the conviction of three men in December 2025 following a foiled plot to attack the Jewish community in Manchester; they were sentenced in January this year, with two of them receiving life sentences.
“Another included a man given a life sentence with a minimum of 16 years for planning an attack against a mosque and a bookshop in the city; another involved three men who were part of an online extreme right-wing group who discussed targets for harassment and attacks, including mosques, Islamic Education centres and synagogues. They were sentenced to a combined 29 years in prison, while another case saw a man sentenced to 15 years for sharing Daesh propaganda and encouraging terrorism.
“A clear marker of this successful activity is the record number of people in custody for terrorism related offences at the end of 2025.
“Our teams work with security services to do incredible things every day to stop the horror of terrorism spilling on our streets, and today’s figures are a snapshot of those efforts.”
Since the start of 2020, Counter Terrorism Policing and UK Intelligence Services have disrupted 19 late–stage attacks, with levels of investigations and casework growing.
Alongside our counter terrorism efforts, we are seeing increasing demand linked to our other missions within CTP, most notably in countering state threats – which accounts for more than 20% of our casework – and war crimes. Indeed, demand on the War Crimes Team has increased by 50% since 2020, and just this week we have brought the UK’s first charges for murder as a crime against humanity.
Tackling terrorism and counter state threats in our communities isn’t something we do alone.
DAC Evans added: “So much of our successes come from the proactive role the public play in reporting concerns they have. This could be seeing something that concerns them when they are out and about, coming across harmful content online, or being worried about a loved one.
“We know how seriously the public takes terrorism. This includes the 25,000 reports from the public through the Anti-Terror hotline and online portal in 2025 alone. This feeds into the investigations we run, and subsequent arrests we make. We thank everyone who has stepped up and reported concerns to us over the last year.”
If you’re concerned that someone might be taking a dangerous path, then seek support via ACT Early.
You can also report suspicious activity by contacting the police in confidence on 0800 789 321.
*This data refers to arrests which are not connected to Palestine Action due to the ongoing Judicial Review and subsequent appeal.