Five members of the British armed forces have been arrested "on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism," British police announced Tuesday.
A spokesman for the Board of Deputies of British Jews told the Guardian: “It is extremely concerning that there are some members of our armed forces that are allegedly members of the proscribed fascist group National Action… Their glorification of Nazis and celebration of terrorism are just some examples of this group’s atrocious actions.”
While not identified by name, the soldiers were said to have been members of the far right National Action group, which was banned by the Interior Ministry last year after it voiced support for the assassination of Labour MP Jo Cox.
At the time of the ban, Interior Minister Amber Rudd said that the group was "a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organization which stirs up hatred, glorifies violence and promotes a vile ideology.”
Members of the group have previously been filmed complaining about “the disease of international Jewry” and promising that “when the time comes they’ll be in the chambers."
"The arrests were pre-planned and intelligence-led; there was no threat to the public’s safety,” the police stated. Should convictions be obtained, membership in the banned organization alone is enough to net an offender a jail term of up to ten years, even before factoring in the terrorism charges.
Speaking with members of the Jewish Leadership Council in London on Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May spoke out directly against anti-Semitism, saying that she wanted to "take this opportunity to reaffirm my long-standing and total commitment to the security of the Jewish community and I will do everything possible to fight anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred and prejudice in our country."
