0:00:04 > 0:00:09Leytonstone tube station. A lone attacker strikes with a knife.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11He slashes his victim's throat.
0:00:11 > 0:00:16The attacker at Leytonstone is a good example of a lone actor,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20someone who has picked up an ideology and bought into it.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Lone wolves, or lone actors, are the hidden threat the West fears.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27The internet is where they breed and feed.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32A lone wolf is somebody who has not been to a camp,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35not been through extensive training, but someone who has read the
0:00:35 > 0:00:40doctrine, bought the narrative and decided to go act on their own.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45Tonight on Panorama, the changing face of global terror and the UK
0:00:45 > 0:00:49government's controversial Prevent strategy to counter radicalisation.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53The challenge with Prevent is that not only is it a toxic brand
0:00:53 > 0:00:57but there are fears that it is counterproductive.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Prevent is also about stopping young Muslims from going to join
0:01:02 > 0:01:05the so-called Islamic State, IS, or Isis.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10I ended up believing that the caliphate was the Islamic State.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14So I saw that as an obligation, I'll need to go and join them.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16IS is now under pressure.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Mosel, its stronghold, is likely to fall.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23MI6 warns of an unprecedented terror threat.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25The FBI fears the worst.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30We are planning for the eventual return of some very
0:01:30 > 0:01:33battle-hardened, tested, trained
0:01:33 > 0:01:35terrorist operatives, who will now seek
0:01:35 > 0:01:38to return to their home countries, in the United States,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40in Western Europe and around the globe.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I've come to New York to investigate the phenomenon of so-called
0:02:04 > 0:02:09lone wolves. That's individuals acting largely on their own and not
0:02:09 > 0:02:11part of any network.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Most of the terror attacks in America since 9/11 have been
0:02:16 > 0:02:17carried out by lone wolves.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28Ever since 9/11, New York has been a prime terrorist target.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And Times Square, an iconic symbol of America,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35is one of the highest-profile targets of all.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40That's why massive resources have been deployed here to deter
0:02:40 > 0:02:45and counter any so-called lone wolf or mass casualty terrorist attack.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51And the UK faces the same threat.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55The military defeat of IS is likely to lead to more lone wolf
0:02:55 > 0:02:57attacks abroad, inspired over the internet.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02A lone wolf is somebody who has not been to a camp,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05not been through extensive training, but someone who
0:03:05 > 0:03:09has bought the narrative and decided to go act on their own.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Reading this material online,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14just something that happens between that individual's mind and the
0:03:14 > 0:03:18glow of that screen of the laptop at one o'clock in the morning.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28The Joint Operations Center is at the heart of
0:03:28 > 0:03:31New York Police Department's counterterrorist response.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Here, the NYPD can monitor just about everybody and every
0:03:37 > 0:03:39corner of the vast metropolis,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43through hundreds and thousands of cameras located around the city.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48This is the place that, in terms of crisis, particularly
0:03:48 > 0:03:53a terrorist attack, comes alive and becomes kind of command and control.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05This is New York's front-line defence.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07All right, good afternoon, everybody.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11We'll do a little quick rundown of all the units out there tonight.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15There are over 500 specially trained officers who make up the
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Critical Response Command, established last year after the
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24OK, Stefanski, Cortes.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27You guys got post five, OK? You're going to be at the French consulate,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29934 5th Avenue.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31It's no idle threat.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34A lone wolf attacked Manhattan at the end of September,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36inspired by IS.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41It also claimed a knife attack the same day in Minnesota and
0:04:41 > 0:04:45praised a knife attack in Ohio only two weeks ago.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47Mckenzie and Lee.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50You guys are going to be doing transit bag checks tonight.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54The unit works around the clock, 24/7,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and always has an up-to-date intelligence briefing before
0:04:57 > 0:04:59it hits the streets.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Isil is under increasing pressure from the US military-led
0:05:02 > 0:05:04coalition in Iraq.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06In the past we have seen sympathisers
0:05:06 > 0:05:12look at events going on abroad as an impetus to retaliate and target
0:05:12 > 0:05:15interests in the West or in the United States.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24A lone wolf struck New York one Saturday night last September.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27EXPLOSION
0:05:28 > 0:05:32The bomb went off in a crowded area in downtown Manhattan.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36EXPLOSION
0:05:36 > 0:05:4031 people were injured, but no-one was killed.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42It had been planted in a rubbish skip.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47The bomb was a pressure cooker device,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51apparently detonated by the timer on a mobile phone.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53It is a miracle.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Had the people who were on the other side of the street been
0:05:56 > 0:05:59walking on the side of the street where that bomb was when it
0:05:59 > 0:06:03went off, we would have people who would have been killed.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Using the surveillance cameras that blanket the city,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12the main suspect was tracked down in 50 hours.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18The police moved in.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22The suspect pulled a gun, the police opened fire and wounded him.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The suspect's name was Ahmad Khan Rahimi.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28He's now standing trial.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34When Rahimi was arrested, he was carrying a notebook.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38A bloodstained page reveals the source of his radicalisation.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56The mastermind of IS's lone wolf strategy was Abu Mohammad al-Adnani,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00effectively IS's second-in-command.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03He was the chief propaganda officer.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07And in September 2014,
0:07:07 > 0:07:12we see a message from Sheikh Adnani that says,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16"Come here and fight with us in Syria if you can.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18"For the Islamic State.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21"But if you can't make it here, or wherever you are in the West,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24"use whatever you have at hand.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29"Whether that's a gun, shoot them down. If it's a bomb, blow them up.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30"If you have a car, run them over."
0:07:34 > 0:07:35In May this year,
0:07:35 > 0:07:40Adnani urged IS supporters overseas to target civilians.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41This is his voice.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57He says, "Civilians, any non-believers are fair game."
0:07:57 > 0:07:59The second thing he says is,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03"Make sure that you claim responsibility in the name of
0:08:03 > 0:08:05"Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08"the head of Isis, live, during the attack."
0:08:09 > 0:08:14In Orlando, Florida, three weeks after Adnani's message, another lone
0:08:14 > 0:08:18wolf, Omar Mateen, walked into the Pulse gay nightclub
0:08:18 > 0:08:21and shot 49 people dead.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24It was the largest loss of life in terms of casualties
0:08:24 > 0:08:29in post-9/11 America. But was the attack a coincidence?
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I don't think it was coincidence at all.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34The first thing he does after killing all those people is
0:08:34 > 0:08:36he calls 911, the police emergency number.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08IS praised the truck attack in Nice that left 86 people dead,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12and Adnani inspired several knifings in France.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13GUNSHOT
0:09:16 > 0:09:20There were also knife attacks on trains and stations in Germany.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28In August, a US airstrike hit its target, killing Adnani.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33But to the FBI, did his message die with him?
0:09:35 > 0:09:39I fully expect that Adnani will have that same sort of impact for many
0:09:39 > 0:09:41years to come.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Adnani's message to lone wolves echoed from the grave barely days
0:09:45 > 0:09:46after his death,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50when he became IS's poster jihadi on the cover of its glossy magazine.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05Would you expect to see more lone wolf, lone actor type attacks?
0:10:05 > 0:10:10I think you can definitely expect to see a greater effort on the
0:10:10 > 0:10:13part of the Islamic State to encourage more attacks.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I would expect they'll shift the majority of their attention
0:10:16 > 0:10:18to external operations.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22For us, that means the United States and our partners in the West.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31The most recent lone wolf attack in the UK happened almost exactly
0:10:31 > 0:10:36a year ago, at London's Leytonstone tube station on a Saturday night.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41A musician with his gear was on his way to
0:10:41 > 0:10:45a gig, when an attacker slashed his throat with a knife.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49A Polish builder at the tube station recorded the scene on his
0:10:49 > 0:10:52phone when he saw the attacker waving a knife around.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Why you attack me...with this knife?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59That doesn't matter.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02I am no Muslim. I am Polish man!
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Luckily, a junior doctor happened to be in the station and gave
0:11:06 > 0:11:08first aid. The musician survived.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Around ten minutes into the attack, local police arrived.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Taser him, Taser him, Taser him. Taser him.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23You ain't no Muslim, bruv!
0:11:23 > 0:11:27The words went viral, a rallying cry against extremism.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30You're no Muslim, bruv! You ain't no Muslim!
0:11:34 > 0:11:37The musician's attacker was 30-year-old Muhiddin Mire,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39born in Somalia.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43When police searched his mobile phone, they found dozens of
0:11:43 > 0:11:47gruesome images of IS propaganda downloaded from the internet,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50including an image of Fusilier Lee Rigby,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53an early victim of a lone wolf attack in the UK.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59The attacker at Leytonstone is a good example of a lone actor,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03someone who's picked up an ideology and bought into it and felt
0:12:03 > 0:12:07the need to act in the name of a terrorist group overseas.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Mire was sentenced to life.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13The judge concluded that the attack was carried out for
0:12:13 > 0:12:18ideological reasons. But because Mire was also mentally ill,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22he was sent to Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27The latest research shows that mental illness in lone wolf
0:12:27 > 0:12:31cases is 13% more than in the general UK population.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32I live here.
0:12:34 > 0:12:35That doesn't matter.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41He shouted that this is for Syria, he had clearly been looking
0:12:41 > 0:12:45at lots of Isis, or so-called Islamic State, material previously.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48He clearly... The decision to try to cut someone's head off was
0:12:48 > 0:12:52clearly emulating the terrorist acts
0:12:52 > 0:12:55that had been broadcast by the famous Jihadi John.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59What threat do lone actors pose to the UK?
0:12:59 > 0:13:01It's a big part of the threat we face today,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05and the Islamic State have, in many ways, changed the nature of
0:13:05 > 0:13:07terrorism that we're confronting.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16The Government is trying to counter these changing and growing threats.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Many are generated by online radicalisation, leading to
0:13:20 > 0:13:24lone wolf attacks and young Muslims being seduced by IS propaganda.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Mariam, a teenager and not her real name,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34was first drawn to IS via her mobile phone.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37The Home Office helped facilitate the interview.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42We've concealed her identity and her words are spoken by an actor.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Her radicalisation began when she connected online with someone
0:13:46 > 0:13:47in Syria.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50What did you say when you messaged him for the first time?
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I basically was just trying to find out what went on,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58what there was, how life was there.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01What was the picture that he painted of the Islamic State?
0:14:03 > 0:14:06It was like some sort of wonderland for Muslims
0:14:06 > 0:14:09and a place where you have everything you want.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13So I saw that as an obligation on me to go and join them.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14Mariam's mother had
0:14:14 > 0:14:18no idea what her daughter was doing on her mobile phone.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21My daughter is someone I'm very proud of.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24She's always been very caring for her family.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30She always studies very hard. She is very hard-working.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34How close to going to Syria were you?
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Very close.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40I was actually talking about tickets and how much it costs and
0:14:40 > 0:14:41booking them.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Did your family know what you were doing, what you were planning to do?
0:14:45 > 0:14:46No. No-one knew.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Did you discuss your plans with anyone else here in the UK?
0:14:50 > 0:14:55No, but online, I did manage to find people who were also planning
0:14:55 > 0:14:56to go from the UK.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- Did you have plans to go together? - Yeah.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05Over 800 radicalised British Muslims have travelled to Syria and Iraq,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08although the numbers have now dramatically decreased given
0:15:08 > 0:15:10IS's recent setbacks.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Radicalisation can start with the very young.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22That's why the Government has made schools a priority.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29Waverley School, lying in a deprived area of Birmingham, is its showcase.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Almost 90% of its pupils are Muslim.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38The contentious issue of the Islamic State is tackled head-on by
0:15:38 > 0:15:41a class of 13- and 14-year-olds.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Right, today's lesson,
0:15:44 > 0:15:50we are exploring what you already know about Isis, OK?
0:15:50 > 0:15:55Think about the questions around the topic Isis.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Let's watch this video clip, let's have a look.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59CHANTING
0:16:21 > 0:16:22From that video clip,
0:16:22 > 0:16:27why do you think people are not represented by Isis?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30The teacher asked the pupils to discuss and then write down
0:16:30 > 0:16:32their thoughts.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Isis don't represent the majority of Islam,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38as Islam teaches you to be accepting of everyone and to respect others.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40However, Isis kill people who they feel as
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- a threat to them and to God's rule on the earth.- OK, excellent.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46They're targeting vulnerable people, OK,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48to fight for a cause, to be part of something.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52So why does it not represent the majority?
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Isis don't represent the majority of Muslims because in Islam, it
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- teaches that you shouldn't kill anybody.- OK.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02What do you think the media does, actually, in terms of...? You know,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Isis is in the news quite regularly.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08It makes us look really bad in front of people.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10It makes people change their opinions about us and
0:17:10 > 0:17:14- stereotype us in a bad way.- OK, so how are they influencing people?
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Because they're trying to psychologically manipulate them
0:17:18 > 0:17:22to say that, you know, "We're doing the right thing," when they're not.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Waverley's principal is Jacqueline Newsome.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34She was appointed in April this year.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37She previously taught at other schools in the Midlands, where
0:17:37 > 0:17:41she faced the issue of white right-wing extremism.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43And you want to be... Oh, finish that sentence for me.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47What do you want to be? What do you want to be?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49A pilot?
0:17:49 > 0:17:53She makes no apology for discussing highly sensitive topics.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58- Why discuss Isis?- Our youngsters are very internet savvy.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02They've got access, practically... Well, it's 24 access, to online.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05You can't always safely monitor that.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Presumably, many of your pupils, your young students,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13because of their age, are vulnerable.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18Any child that's exposed to information that's...
0:18:18 > 0:18:22extreme can become vulnerable.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26We try to counter some of those extremist views.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29The Government's policy to fight radicalisation and violent
0:18:29 > 0:18:33extremism, and that includes right-wing extremism, too,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37is called Prevent, and it's very controversial.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38Under Prevent,
0:18:38 > 0:18:43how would Waverley respond to signs of radicalisation in a pupil?
0:18:43 > 0:18:46As a school, it would be tackled under our normal safeguarding
0:18:46 > 0:18:49responsibilities and pastoral systems.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51And they're very robust here.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54We can always contact the Prevent team for advice,
0:18:54 > 0:18:59because we're the ones at the coalface. Chalkface, really.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02And we're the ones that know the children well.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07The National Union of Teachers is strongly opposed to Prevent
0:19:07 > 0:19:11and to the legal obligation on teachers to report any
0:19:11 > 0:19:15suspicion that a particular individual is being radicalised.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20The same Prevent duty applies to other, mainly public, bodies.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25The Prevent programme has elements of referring to authorities,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29has elements of people looking over your shoulder.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I think that is changing some of the relationship,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35you know, what is a delicate relationship between
0:19:35 > 0:19:37teachers and young people.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Why would pupils,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43students think that somebody was looking over their shoulder?
0:19:44 > 0:19:49Because they don't live in a vacuum, they see reports of young
0:19:49 > 0:19:54people being visited by the police for things they've said in
0:19:54 > 0:19:58class or things that they may have expressed on the internet.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- In e-mails.- Is Prevent seen as spying?
0:20:05 > 0:20:08By some people, I think.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13There are teachers who don't feel comfortable with reporting an
0:20:13 > 0:20:17individual because they feel it is like spying on the child.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19It's not about spying on the youngsters,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23it's about protecting those that may be vulnerable or at risk,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25and that's part of our wider safeguarding duties,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29just as we would for a youngster that was exposed to potential
0:20:29 > 0:20:32online grooming, or child sexual exploitation.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Since last year, the opposition to Prevent has intensified,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40in particular
0:20:40 > 0:20:44in many of the Muslim communities that feel most affected by it.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49There is a duty on teachers to find out what the young children
0:20:49 > 0:20:52are doing and report them to Prevent if they seem, if they think
0:20:52 > 0:20:56that person is becoming... moving towards radicalisation.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59And what happens is they end up being the police force,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and we don't need that to be the case.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Teachers need to be teachers.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05The Muslim Council of Britain
0:21:05 > 0:21:07is an umbrella body of hundreds of mosques.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Why are you opposed to Prevent?
0:21:11 > 0:21:16The challenge with Prevent is that not only is it a toxic brand
0:21:16 > 0:21:21but there are fears that it is counterproductive
0:21:21 > 0:21:24and may yield to negative results for our safety and security,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26and that's why we want something that's better.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29We want something that has the trust of the community.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Trust is the bedrock on which Prevent has to stand,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36and in particular in places like Kirklees in West Yorkshire.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39It's one of the Government's Prevent priority areas
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and has a history of radicalisation.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Most recently it was here that a right-wing lone wolf,
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Thomas Mair, a neo-Nazi, murdered a local MP, Jo Cox.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54He was sentenced to life last month.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Under Prevent, every local authority has to establish a panel to consider
0:22:02 > 0:22:06how to intervene and support someone who's being radicalised.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11The process is called Channel, and it's sensitive, because many
0:22:11 > 0:22:17Muslims and others too see it as an intelligence arm of the police.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21The police are involved, but it's actually run by the local council.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23OK, good afternoon, everybody.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26My name's Carol Gilchrist, I'm the head of safe and cohesive
0:22:26 > 0:22:30communities at the council and I'm chair of this Channel Panel.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Panel members discuss cases that have been referred to it
0:22:34 > 0:22:37and then decide whether intervention is appropriate
0:22:37 > 0:22:40to help de-radicalise an individual.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43I'm Lee Hamilton and I'm the Prevent coordinator for Kirklees.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Rachel Adcock, team manager Kirklees,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47intensive home-based treatment team.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52- Jo Wolfe, Partnership Sergeant at Kirklees.- OK, thank you very much.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Three local counterterrorism officers
0:22:55 > 0:22:59did attend this meeting to answer questions from the panel.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01They did not wish to be identified.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Just as the confidentiality agreement goes around the table,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09we will, erm, we will start to look at the year agenda.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12We were only allowed to film the introduction,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15but I was allowed to stay and hear the cases.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20The camera crew, on the other hand, had to leave.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26After more than three hours, the meeting was still going on.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29The panel discussed eight cases.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Significantly, half of those cases
0:23:31 > 0:23:35involved pupils at school, and teachers came along
0:23:35 > 0:23:37to give evidence about the cases to the panel, and the panel
0:23:37 > 0:23:42then asked them questions about the individuals concerned.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46In one case, parents were advised to use the parental lock
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and take down most of their son's social media accounts.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Another case involved a right-wing extremist
0:23:53 > 0:23:56who'd been referred by Muslims at his workplace.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59A further case concerned a person with mental health problems.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I think we have prevented people from being radicalised
0:24:04 > 0:24:08at an early stage. We've helped people rebuild their lives.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12On the travel to Syria for example, often it's teenagers
0:24:12 > 0:24:19who are targeted for radicalisation, and that often happens online.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Channel is at the centre of the criticisms of some Muslims
0:24:23 > 0:24:25as they feel the process is secretive
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and not open to any outside scrutiny.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Channel very well might be positive for some individuals
0:24:31 > 0:24:34and the problem is we don't understand what's going on.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37There's no transparency as to who is doing
0:24:37 > 0:24:40the Channel de-radicalisation.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43There's no transparency as to what happens as a result and so
0:24:43 > 0:24:48of course there are security requirements that prevent
0:24:48 > 0:24:50full transparency on these issues.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53The identities of those who cooperate with Channel
0:24:53 > 0:24:55is kept secret.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58That's why we were given only limited access to the Channel Panel
0:24:58 > 0:25:00and to Mariam's story.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03I ended up getting in contact with a whole group of sisters
0:25:03 > 0:25:05who all wanted to go to Syria.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10And what effect did being part of that group have on you?
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Um, it draws you more into it
0:25:13 > 0:25:16when you're surrounded by people who have the same aim.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Mariam was on the brink of leaving for Syria
0:25:19 > 0:25:21when there was a knock at the door.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24The police came seven o'clock and they searched my house
0:25:24 > 0:25:27and they took my passport.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28And they searched my room.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I tried to get my mobile phone
0:25:30 > 0:25:32as soon as possible to delete everything,
0:25:32 > 0:25:37but the police came right after me, so I didn't have time to do that.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38Everything was there.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41I was very nervous and angry.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44At that moment, I even slapped my daughter.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48They gradually told me that she was planning to go to Syria.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52The family agreed to Mariam being referred to Channel.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56The Home Office says it's a safe space with no criminal charges.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00It was good that the Channel programme came and talked to her.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02I was supportive of that.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04If she had gone to Syria then,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07life wouldn't have any meaning for me any more.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Mariam was counselled on a weekly basis for ten months
0:26:11 > 0:26:15by a Muslim mentor knowledgeable in Islamic theology.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Why did it take so long?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Because there would've been a chance of me going back and starting
0:26:20 > 0:26:24to support them again and actually going there and joining them.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Mariam is one of over 1,000 mainly young people
0:26:28 > 0:26:31who have been through Channel since 2012.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35The earlier we spot somebody who's vulnerable,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39the earlier we can all collectively, police, community, mental health,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43social services, youth workers, we can get round a table
0:26:43 > 0:26:46and help prevent this person being drawn towards it.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49The Government is now planning to strengthen Prevent,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52whilst taking another look at how Channel operates,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56in particular with regard to the role of the police.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59MACHINE-GUN FIRE
0:26:59 > 0:27:01EXPLOSION
0:27:01 > 0:27:04But the magnet of the so-called Islamic State may be weakening,
0:27:04 > 0:27:09with nearly half its territory gone and Mosul likely to fall.
0:27:11 > 0:27:17IS's response is to intensify its propaganda offensive online.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Adnani's successor was appointed last week.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22He echoed Adnani's message,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26calling for attacks against the enemy in their homes, markets,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28streets and gatherings.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32And IS's latest video reinforces the call,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36urging lone wolf attacks in France and the UK.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39VOICE SPEAKS IN FRENCH
0:27:48 > 0:27:50The head of MI6 has said that the UK
0:27:50 > 0:27:54now faces an unprecedented terror threat
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- and the FBI fears the worst.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00We expect that many of the foreign fighters who have joined the
0:28:00 > 0:28:05Islamic State over the last several years will decide that this is
0:28:05 > 0:28:08no longer for them and they'll try to travel home.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12So we are planning for the eventual return of some very
0:28:12 > 0:28:16battle-hardened, tested, trained terrorist operatives,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19who will now seek to return to their home countries,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22in the United States and Western Europe and around the globe.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26The battle on the ground against IS is still in the balance.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Any victory, be it in the field at Mosul,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33online or in the classroom, will be hard-won.