LONDON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Four alleged members of banned neo-Nazi group arrested for terror offences are soldiers in the Army, the British Ministry of Defense confirmed here Tuesday.
The four were arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of being members of the recently banned neo-Nazi group National Action.
A 22-year-old from Birmingham, a 32-year-old from Powys, a 24-year-old from Ipswich and a 24-year-old from Northampton have been arrested under the Terrorism Act on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organization, according to police in West Midlands, a city in western central England.
All four are being held at a police station in the West Midlands and a number of properties are being searched in connection with the arrests.
A statement from West Midlands police said, "The arrests were pre-planned and intelligence-led; there was no threat to the public's safety."
The arrests were carried out with West Midlands counter-terrorism unit in conjunction with units from Wales and the East Midlands.
National Action became first extreme right-wing group to be banned in the United Kingdom under terrorism laws in December 2016.
The proscription meant that being a member of or inviting support for the organization is a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to 10 years' imprisonment.
An entry for National Action in the official list of proscribed groups says it is a "racist neo-Nazi group" that was established in 2013 and has branches across the UK which "conduct provocative street demonstrations and stunts aimed at intimidating local communities".
The document adds that the group is "virulently racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic".
Its activities and propaganda materials are particularly aimed at recruiting young people, according to the list.
Announcing the move to ban National Action, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd described in December 2016 the group as a "racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organization".
