The Internet is one of the most significant vehicles for promoting violent radicalism - more so than prisons, universities or places of worship.

On 25 May the Home Affairs Committee announced a new inquiry to examine the root causes of violent radicalisation in the UK, the individuals and groups particularly vulnerable to radicalisation and where this radicalisation tends to take place, in relation to the primary terrorist threats facing the UK.

Specifically, the Committee intends:

• To determine the major drivers of, and risk factors for recruitment to, terrorist movements linked to (a) Islamic fundamentalism (b) Irish dissident republicanism and (c) domestic extremism;
• To examine the relative importance of prisons and criminal networks, religious premises, universities and the internet as fora for violent radicalisation;
• To examine the operation and impact of the current process for proscribing terrorist groups;
• To consider the appropriateness of current preventative approaches to violent radicalisation, in light of these findings, including the roles of different organisations at national and local level; and
• To make recommendations to inform implementation of the Government’s forthcoming revised Prevent strategy.