Part 1: Counter-terrorism Chapter 1: Terrorist offences Section 6: Extra-territorial jurisdiction
Section 6 extends the circumstances in which terrorist offending abroad may be prosecuted in the United Kingdom, whether the offence is committed by UK citizens or otherwise.
	Section 17 of the 2006 Act makes provision in relation to extra-territorial jurisdiction for the UK courts for the offences contained in sections 1 (encouragement of terrorism), 6 (training for terrorism), 8 (attendance at a place used for terrorist training) and 9 to 11 (offences involving radioactive devices and materials and nuclear facilities) of that Act, and in sections 11(1) (membership of proscribed organisations) and 54 (weapons training) of the 2000 Act. The overall effect of the section is that if, for example, an individual was to commit one of these offences in a foreign country, they would be liable under UK law in the same way as if they had committed the offence in the UK. In practice, a prosecution would only be instituted in this country if the individual was present in the UK (for example having returned voluntarily from fighting with a terrorist organisation overseas, or having been returned in accordance with extradition procedures). Prosecutions in England and Wales for an offence committed abroad may only be instituted with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions, given with the permission of the Attorney General; such prosecutions in Northern Ireland are subject to the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland, given with the permission of the Attorney General for Northern Ireland (section 19 of the 2006 Act). In Scotland, all prosecutions are brought by the Lord Advocate or on his behalf, where to do so is in the public interest.
	In the case of the offence contrary to section 1 of the 2006 Act, the extra-territoriality is currently limited in that it only applies insofar as the statement encourages the commission, preparation, or instigation of one or more Convention offences (that is the offences listed in Schedule 1 to the 2006 Act - these are the offences in UK law which implement those mentioned in the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism). Subsection (3)(b) amends section 17(2) to extend the existing extra-territorial jurisdiction for the section 1 offence. As a result, a person who does anything outside of the UK which would constitute an offence under section 1 (whether in relation to a Convention offence or terrorism more widely) could be tried in the UK courts were he or she to return to this country.
	Subsections (3)(a), (4) and (5) amend section 17(2) to provide for extra-territorial jurisdiction for a further five offences, namely those in section 2 of the 2006 Act (dissemination of terrorist publications), section 12(1) and 12(1A) of the 2000 Act (inviting or expressing support for a proscribed organization), section 13 of the 2000 Act (wearing a uniform etc associated with proscribed organisation) and section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883 (making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances) so far as committed for the purposes of an act of terrorism. Subsection (7) limits extra-territorial jurisdiction in respect of the section 12 and 13 offences to UK nationals and residents.