Eight-year-old boy questioned by counter-terrorism police officers in London school over ‘radicalisation’ fears

An eight-year-old boy was questioned by two counter-terrorism police officers and a social worker at a school in east London over alleged radicalisation fears, The Independent can reveal.

The Counter Terrorism Professional Standards Unit has now launched an investigation into the matter after the boy’s parents logged a formal complaint about the treatment of their young son.

The parents, who wish to remain anonymous, said their child was left “frightened” and “traumatised” after he was separated from his classmates at a school in Ilford to be interviewed.

The father claims his son was asked about Islam, the mosque he attends, whether he prays, and his views on other religions. He was also asked to recite verses from the Quran.

No safeguarding issues were identified from the interview in July and no further action was taken by the police – but now the parents are seeking legal advice.

They argue they were targeted for being Muslim, but The Independent understands radicalisation concerns were sparked by the father’s links to members of an Islamist group.

“We are absolutely shocked and appalled that our son was questioned alone and in this manner and without informing his parents,” the father said.

He added: “We as parents have never asked our eight-year-old son some of these questions and are deeply upset some stranger would ask these questions of him.

“Our son is only in Year 3 and is significantly impacted by this. He has since asked us why he had been questioned and not any other children were questioned.

“He feels betrayed by his teacher, as it was someone he trusted who took him to the officers to be questioned in this manner.”

The parents, who were also questioned about their religious beliefs and practices after their son was interviewed, were left “extremely upset” by the experience which they say made them feel like criminals.

They added that they were worried about sending their son back to school for fear of it happening again.

The family has issued complaints to Redbridge Council and the Metropolitan Police about the incident, which took place on the last day of the summer term, as they argue the questioning was “Islamophobic”.

No concerns were raised by the school about their son prior to the interview, the parents say. It is understood that the child was interviewed without consent following concerns about the father’s attendance at dawah stalls in 2014 – which allegedly had links to a Anjem Choudary‘s al-Muhajiroun terrorist network.

Members and affiliates have planned and launched numerous terror attacks, with Choudary’s followers including London Bridge attack ringleader Khuram Butt, Lee Rigby’s killers and Isis executioner Siddhartha Dhar.

Relatives of known terrorists and extremists are routinely referred to Prevent over concerns they may have been radicalised, even if there are no concerns with their own behaviour.

The government says referrals, 42 per cent of which result in no further action, help safeguard children and can result in vulnerable people receiving support.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counterterror policing, told the Home Affairs Committee in October that safeguarding children was at the heart of Prevent.

He said: “We have got to challenge extremist behaviour even if it doesn’t cross the criminal threshold because of the kind of intolerance it breeds.”

The recent case involving a child in east London emerged after the latest government figures showed that more than half of people referred to Prevent in 2017-18 were aged 20 or under.

The Home Office figures revealed that 2,009 under-15s were flagged up over terror concerns in the year to March - a 20 per cent rise on the year before.

Since July 2015, nurseries, schools and universities are required to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism” as part of the government’s Prevent strategy.

In August, Ofsted criticised a preschool in Hove for failing to spot if children as young as two were at risk of extremism. And in a separate incident in 2016, nursery staff suggested referring a four-year-old to Prevent after he drew a picture of a man cutting a cucumber and mispronounced it as “cooker bomb”.

Corey Stoughton, advocacy director at civil rights’ group Liberty, said “Our counter-terrorism legislation, particularly the Prevent duty, has consistently spread discrimination and distrust, pushing schools and other public authorities to question people based on their religion and skin colour.

“The new Counter Terrorism Bill is an opportunity to ensure that Prevent is independently reviewed.”

On the incident involving an eight-year-old boy in a London school, she added: “This case is the latest example of why that review is urgently needed, to ensure we have a counter-terror strategy that protects us without stigmatising communities and traumatising children and their families.”

Mohammad Khan, spokesperson for Prevent Watch, a group that supports people affected by the Prevent Duty, said: “This case again exposes how Prevent focuses on Islam and religious belief.

“A child asked to recite from a sacred text is wrong on so many levels and smacks of an authoritarian state. Prevent does little to prevent terrorism but instead sows deep and structural prejudices towards the Muslim community.”

But Raffaello Pantucci, the director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said he could understand why the police had interviewed the boy in this way.

He told The Independent: “You can understand the need if the concern is that the parents are the ones who might potentially be radicalising the child. You would want to find a way of approaching the child in an environment that is safe but which is not necessarily in front of the parents.

“It is very difficult to know how many times this has happened in the past because the nature of this case is one that everyone will keep as quiet as possible because of the children involved.

“But I know it is a huge concern to authorities that you hear of radical influences on young children.”

In March last year, unqualified teacher Umar Haque – who tried to recruit an “army of children” to launch simultaneous terror attacks across London – was jailed for life.

The 25-year-old groomed children to join a “mini militia” and made them keep it secret from parents who had paid for after-school classes at an east London mosque.

Mr Pantucci added: “We are seeing more examples of radical families with children growing up in them. [Radicalisation] has been a consistent concern but it has become much sharper recently.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that counter-terrorism officers undertook a visit to an east London school earlier this year following concern raised about a child under 10 years old.

“This safeguarding meeting was conducted in the company of a social worker. Counter Terrorism Policing works with partners to safeguard the most vulnerable in our society.

“A public complaint has been received in relation to this matter and is now being investigated by the Counter Terrorism Professional Standards Unit.

“No safeguarding issues were identified as a result of the meeting with the boy and no further police action was taken in relation to this matter.”

A Redbridge Council spokesperson said: “We’re unable to comment on the circumstances of this matter but can confirm we have received a formal complaint, which is being fully investigated in line with the council’s usual procedures.”