Figures show the number of under-18s arrested in terror probes is rising

The 16-year-old suspect is being questioned at a nearby police station

A 15-year-old schoolboy has been arrested in London on suspicion of encouraging terrorism.

The boy was detained at a house in the east of the capital earlier this morning and is now being held at a police station nearby.

Scotland Yard said anti-terror officers are now searching the address where the boy was arrested.

Scotland Yard officials announced that a schoolboy has been arrested on suspicion of encouraging terror

A Met police spokesman said: 'Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service's Counter Terrorism Command attended a residential address in east London, at approximately 08.15hrs, on Thursday, 16 June, and arrested a 15-year-old boy on suspicion of encouraging terrorism.

'Officers are searching the address. The boy has been taken to an east London police station where he remains in custody pending further enquiries.'

The law is designed to stop inflammatory messages or extremist videos or pictures being posted on social media or blogs.

It defines encouraging terrorism as publishing a statement which 'glorifies' extremist attacks or which might cause others to go out and commit such acts.

Figures released earlier this year showed a record number of teenagers were arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offences last year.

The number of under-18s arrested in terror investigations rose to 16 in 2015, from 10 the previous year.

In April, West Midlands police held an 18-year-old man at Manchester airport on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences.

In February last year, three schoolgirls from east London, Shamima Begum, then 15, Kadiza Sultana, then 16, and Amira Abase, then 15, ran away to ISIS-held Syria. They followed another youngster from their school who went to the country the year before.