A 14-year-old boy has been charged with terrorism after allegedly plotting to target two mosques in south London – the latest case in what police describe as an alarming rise in young people drawn into extremism.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested at a home in south London on Thursday. Officers initially detained him on suspicion of criminal damage to a vehicle in Sutton the week before, but a search of the address revealed “documents of concern”, the Metropolitan Police said. He was further arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts linked to extreme right-wing terrorism.
“A 14-year-old boy charged with terrorism over alleged plot to target two London mosques.”
“This is a very serious terrorism charge against a young boy and likely to be highly concerning to the public and the local community,” said Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London. “We know this will be particularly concerning to the Muslim community and we are working closely with the venues affected to ensure they are kept updated and to provide advice, support and reassurance, and this will continue.”
The mosques in question have been contacted by police and are being supported by specialist officers. Officers have also been in contact with the owner of the damaged vehicle. Police said there is no enduring or wider threat and they are not seeking any other people.
DCS Nick Blackburn, in charge of local policing for south London, acknowledged the cumulative toll of such incidents: “We should not underestimate the cumulative impact of incidents of this nature on the Muslim community. These charges come just days after 12 people were arrested for a suspected threat to an Islamic festival in Suffolk and a man was arrested for an alleged assault outside a mosque in Leyton.”
The boy has been remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. Flanagan added: “While it is deeply concerning to see someone so young charged with offences of this nature, we are sadly seeing an increasing number of children and young people in our casework. We continue to work with partners across policing, education, local authorities and safeguarding agencies to help prevent young people becoming involved in extremist ideologies and criminality.”