Nursery children monitored for signs of radicalisation

Children as young as four should be monitored for signs of brainwashing by radical extremists, counter terrorism police have warned.

Specially trained officers in one area have already begun visiting nurseries in order to identify youngsters who could be vulnerable to radicalisation.

In the West Midlands on officer with the counter terrorism unit wrote to community groups warning: "I do hope that you will tell me about persons of whatever age, you think may have been radicalised or be vulnerable to radicalisation ... Evidence suggests that radicalisation can take place from the age of four."

Arun Kundnani, of the Institute of Race Relations, who contacted the officer, said he explained how members of his unit had visited a number of nursery schools.

Mr Kundani told the Times: "He said the indicators were they [children] might draw pictures of bombs and say things like 'all Christians are bad' or that they believed in an Islamic state. It seems nursery teachers in the West Midlands are being asked to look out for radicalisation."

But politicians have criticised the move warning that it could do a lot of damage to community relations.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said the scheme ran the risk of "alienating even more people".

Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman added that it was a "complete waste of police time".

The West Midlands counter-terrorism unit confirmed that its officer had visited a nursery attached to a primary school and had spoken to staff.

A spokesman said: "We have been trying to bring counter-terrorism work out of the shadows."

Last year in Birmingham, Parviz Khan, who was jailed for plotting to kidnap and behead a British soldier, was heard on tape indoctrinating his five-year-old son.