Serving police officer arrested in Gloucester on suspicion of supporting Hamas

A serving Gloucestershire police officer has been arrested on suspicion of a terrorism offence.

A constable in his 30s was arrested by counter-terror police on Tuesday in Gloucester under the Terrorism Act on suspicion of providing support for a proscribed organisation, which Gloucestershire Constabulary named as Hamas.

The suspected support for the group is related to online activity, the force added.

Hamas, an Islamic militant group that operates out of Gaza, has been at war with Israel in a conflict that violently escalated after the 7 October attack last year.

Expressing support for or being a member of Hamas is illegal in the UK, where it is a designated terrorist group – as it is in the European Union and dozens of other countries, such as the United States.

The man was taken into police custody and specialist officers are carrying out searches as part of the investigation, including of a vehicle and an address.

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Arman Mathieson, assistant chief constable at Gloucestershire Constabulary, 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.”