investigations and surveys by the British intelligence agencythey revealed that 13% of people suspected of terrorism in Great Britain are minors. This figure ignited intense concern in the country.
According to the director of the agency Ken McCallumthat one in eight of the suspects are under 18. Responsibility for these numbers is assigned to digital platforms and the dangerous messages that tend to be spread in these easily accessible media for children and adolescents.
The investigation revealed by the official specified that the figures are due to the fact that the number of minors involved tripled in this type of activities in the last three years. Thus, those who were previously not even taken into account for suspicion, now They became decisive for anti-terrorist investigations.
The constant technological advances, the digital platforms that emerge and are maintained, the easy access to them, the little care and the few restrictions it contains, among other things, for McCallum are the main culprits of the situation.
The thing is that dangerous rhetoric arises there, generally extremist and with effective co-option strategieswhether for far-right speeches as jihadist or religious fundamentalist logic.
The words of the MI5 director
“These young people, many of whom have just 13 years oldare exposed to a series of content that seeks to capture their attention and radicalize them through what he called a poisonous extremism online”said the director.
Then he warned that “The role of the Internet in this context cannot be underestimated”given that “easy access to inspiring material and instructions on how to carry out terrorist attacks facilitated the radicalization of young people from their own homes.
Of course, this situation has evolved negatively due to the determination and capacity of those who prepare and disseminate these discoursesto use digitalization to your advantage. Manipulation at a young age is easier, and even more so if it arises through something as credible for young people as what comes out of a screen.
This is accompanied by a strong growth of hate speech globallywhich also end up being reproduced by minors, unaware of the bases and consequences thereof, as well as the intentions.
“Today, for a young person, being able to access inspiring and instructional content from their bedroom is a much lower threshold than it was 20 years ago,” he explained.
However, in many cases, “these minors do not have a criminal record or previous connections with terrorist groups.” This further complicates the work for detect and prevent their actions in time.
But these connections can lead to tragedies. According to McCallum, this “is seen in the recent convictions of British teenagers.”
Then, he recounted specific cases, such as the case of a teenager who, at only 16 years old, was sentenced to seven years in prison in April for planning a terrorist attack at a music festival. This plan had been drawn up a year before. That is, when the young man was 15 years old.
Source: Ambito
