UK police officer arrested on suspicion of 'supporting Hamas'

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - A serving police officer in South West England was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of supporting the Palestinian group Hamas.

The Gloucestershire Police officer was arrested by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South West (CTPSW) on suspicion of a terrorism offence and taken to a police custody unit, Gloucestershire Police said in a statement.

It noted that the officer, a constable in his 30s, was arrested at a property in Gloucester "on suspicion of providing support for a proscribed organization contrary to Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 – namely Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah (Hamas)."

Police said specialist officers carried out a number of searches in relation to the investigation, including of a vehicle and an address in Gloucester.

"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," Gloucestershire Police Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson said in the statement.

"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," Mathieson added.

Hamas was proscribed in its entirety in the UK in 2021.