U.K. arrests teen for planning to join Islamic State in Syria

LONDON, March 16 (UPI) -- Police in Britain arrested an 18-year-old male from Birmingham early Monday on suspicion of terrorism offenses.

The unidentified teen from Hodge Hill in Birmingham, England was believed to be preparing to travel to Syria in order to join the Islamic State, according to a statement by the West Midlands police department.

"The operation was pre-planned and intelligence led," the department noted, adding "there was no immediate threat to public safety."

Officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit arrived at the man's home in Birmingham around 7 a.m. local time Monday, where they arrested him on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts, a violation of Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

According to the Terrorism Act, "a person guilty of an offense under this section shall be liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life."

Monday's arrest follows the detention of three British teenagers, two 17-year-old boys and one 19-year-old man, who were stopped by authorities in Turkey on Saturday before they could cross the border into Syria to join the Islamic State. Three other teens, all girls, are believed to have successfully crossed into Syria to join IS.

"We need to be vigilant," observed Labor MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee. "Clearly this flight of young people to Turkey in order to go to Syria is on a much larger scale than we envisaged."