SEVENTY-eight university students were reported to terror watchdogs in a year amid fears they may become mass killers.
Most of those referred to the Prevent scheme — 56 — were suspected of obsessions with violence and atrocities.
Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was referred to Prevent before his murder spreeCredit: PA
They were deemed to have “no fixed ideology” by the body which prematurely closed its case on despite three referrals after he was also said to lack a “fixed” motivation.
Another 14 Prevent referrals were linked to right-wing extremism.
It follows a string of far-right killings, including the 2016 stabbing by extremist Thomas Mair.
The Home Office figures for April 2024 to April 2025 also reveal six cases linked to — the reason the Prevent scheme was established.
There were two connected to incel extremism, where “involuntarily celibate” men have hostile views on women and often follow toxic online influencers.
Only 13 of the 78 cases were thought dangerous enough for de-radicalisation — but the figure was higher than for any of the previous five years.
A Government spokesman said: “The UK has one of the most robust counter- frameworks in the world and Prevent plays a vital role in stopping people from becoming terrorists.”
UK said the proportion of Prevent cases from higher education establishments was tiny.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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