The Home Office published its quarterly terrorism-powers statistics on 23 July 2026, covering the year ending 31 March 2026. The headline reads stark: 3,061 terrorism-related arrests, a rise of 1,186% on the 238 recorded the year before. The number that matters for reading the threat picture sits underneath it.
Of those 3,061 arrests, 2,819, or 92%, were linked to supporting Palestine Action, following its proscription on 5 July 2025. Strip those out and 242 arrests remain, an increase of just 1.7% on the previous year. The surge is a policing response to one proscription decision, not a step change in attack planning.
The charge picture reflects that. Of the 2,819 Palestine Action arrests, 484, or 21%, resulted in a charge: 8 under Section 12 and 473 under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, the provisions covering support for and display in support of a proscribed organisation. Of the other 242 arrests, 67 were charged. The Home Office cautions that with cases still to finalise, the charge rate may change.
Two figures deserve an operator's attention regardless of the proscription effect. As at 31 March 2026 there were 273 people in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences, the highest number recorded. And Section 43 stop and search rose, with 98 people stopped by the Metropolitan Police, up 36%, and 108 by other forces.
For security teams, the lesson is to read past the headline. A 1,186% rise makes an alarming line, but the underlying terrorism arrest rate held roughly flat. The real signals are the record custody figure and the enforcement tempo around proscription, not the top-line percentage.
