LONDON, Sept 12: More than 50,000 people were stopped and questioned at Britain's ports and airports as potential terrorists last year under the same counter-terrorism powers used to detain David Miranda, partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, in August. The Home Office's (interior ministry) quarterly terror statistics show that 56,257 people were stopped and examined under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which allows for them to be questioned for up to nine hours without the need for a “reasonable suspicion” that they are involved in terrorism.

The figures show that 2,265 of those stopped at airports in 2012/13 were questioned for more than an hour, and 667 were subsequently detained under other powers.

The number of people arrested in Britain for suspected terrorism offences and subsequently charged with a criminal offence rose by 43 to 105 in 2012/13. Of these, 37 were charged with terrorism-related offences.

In all, 249 people were arrested in connection with counter-terrorism operations in 2012/13, a 21 per cent increase on the previous year. The rise was probably connected with the security operations surrounding the London Olympics last summer, but the Home Office said the number varied each year depending on those held in particular operations.

Of those 249 people arrested, 105 were released with no further action taken against them.

By arrangement with the Guardian