British fear Muslim brainwashing of young

LONDON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- British officials say specially trained units are on the lookout for signs of nursery-age children brainwashed by Islamic extremists.

In an e-mail to community groups, an officer in the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit called for information about people, of whatever age, who "may have been radicalized or be vulnerable to radicalization," which the memo says "can take place from the age of 4."

The police unit confirmed that counter-terrorism officers specially trained in identifying children and young people vulnerable to radicalization had visited nursery schools.

The Home Office has disclosed, meanwhile, a 7-year-old has become the youngest child to show signs of grooming by extremists. Of the 228 people identified in the project, more than 90 percent were between the ages of 15 and 24 and most, but not all, are Muslim.