Potential for riot offenders to be charged under terrorism law, top prosecutor says

There is the potential for rioters to be charged under terrorism laws, the UK’s top prosecutor has said in the wake of far-right violence in England and Northern Ireland.

Director of Public Prosecution Stephen Parkinson told ITV News: “If certain elements are in place, if behaviour of this kind is motivated by ideology or political persuasion, it’s designed to intimate the public, there’s an element of planning, we will definitely consider terrorism offences and those can result in even stiffer sentences.”

More than 400 people have been arrested over the mob violence spreading across the UK, with the prime minister setting up a “standing army” of specialist police officers to deal with riots.