Record number of terrorists - 273 - are behind bars in Britain, with almost all either Islamic or right-wing extremists

By RYAN HOOPER, CRIME CORRESPONDENT Published: 16:46, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 16:51, 23 July 2026 Britain's creaking prison estate is holding a record number of terrorists, with the majority of them holding Islamist or far-right extremist views, new figures show. A total of 273 criminals were locked up for terrorism across the country as of the end of March this year, up by seven on the previous 12 months. The vast majority of prisoners (58 per cent, or 159 inmates) doing time for terror-related offences held Islamist-extremist views, according to the Home Office figures. A total of 80 prisoners (29 per cent) had extreme Right-wing beliefs, with 34 (12 per cent) classed as holding 'other' ideologies, including Left-wing extremism. The total number of criminals in prison for terror offences is more than double the 126 when records first began in 2010. The number is up 3 per cent year-on-year and has surpassed a peak recorded at the end of 2025 (267). According to the Home Office figures, three in every five terror-related offenders (165 prisoners or 60 per cent) said they were Muslim, while one-in-five (54 prisoners, or 20 per cent) said they were Christian. A total of 36 (13 per cent) said they did not have a religion. The overwhelming majority of the 273 offenders self-declared as being from the UK, a total of 219 people or 80 per cent. Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi, is among the record number of terrorists in British jails  The next best-represented nationality is Iraqi (eight prisoners), followed by five Iranians. Among those convicted of terror offences in the last year is Vitor Dias, a neo-Nazi from London who admitted collecting a stash of terrorist manuals from the age of 16, including how to make a homemade sub-machine gun. The 21-year-old had a fascination with Adolf Hitler and Nazi creed when he downloaded material from the internet over four years. He pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing a document containing information useful for terrorist purposes with a further three similar offences to lie on the court file. He was jailed for three years in April last year. And Adam Mahmood, a 20-year-old from Birmingham, was handed a four-year custodial term in January after being convicted of possessing a terrorism video on how to make a bomb. Other propaganda material such as videos of executions were also found on his mobile phone. He denied he was a supporter of Islamic State. Ahmed Hassan, the Parsons Green bomber, is serving a lengthy jail sentence for terror-related attempted murder Those terrorists already serving lengthy sentences include Hashem Abedi, brother of the Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi, and Ahmed Hassan, the Parsons Green bomber.   The figures also show some 41 terrorists were freed from jail last year. Terrorists will not be subject to the Government's plans – now on pause – to release prisoners early from jail to tackle overcrowding and will still have to serve two-thirds of their sentence behind bars. They will only be freed once the Parole Board agrees, and subject to conditions. The figures also show a continued surge in terror arrests in the wake of the ban on supporting Palestine Action. There were 3,061 arrests for suspected terrorist activity in the year to March, of which 2,819 were linked to supporting the group after it was proscribed in July last year. Since then a battle has broken out in the courts between Palestine Action and the Government over the legality of the move. Members or supporters of the group face up to 14 years in prison under the ban brought in by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper. The news prompted protests against the decision and led to arrests of demonstrators holding placards supporting the group. In February, High Court judges ruled the Government's proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful after a legal challenge from the group's co-founder Huda Ammori. But the Home Office challenged the decision and saw it overturned in the Court of Appeal after judges found the ban on the organisation as a terror group was a 'justified and proportionate' interference on freedom of expression rights. Earlier this month Ms Ammori made a bid to take her case to the Supreme Court.