A 14-year-old boy from south London has been charged with offences linked to “extreme right-wing terrorism” after police uncovered an alleged plot to target two London mosques.
The boy was arrested on July 9 originally on separate charges on suspicion of criminal damage to a vehicle, but when officers were dispatched to his address, the Met Police said they found “a number of documents of concern”.
The terrorism charge relates to a plan to target two mosques in the Sutton area of south London. The affected mosques have since been alerted and are being supported by specialist officers.
No other suspects are currently being investigated or sought in connection with the plot.
The unnamed 14-year-old was charged with preparation of terrorist acts on or before July 9, as well as racially aggravated criminal damage to property by allegedly damaging a car window on or before June 20, counter-terrorism police working with the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Police statement
“This is a very serious terrorism charge against a young boy and likely to be highly concerning to the public and the local community,” Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Helen Flanagan, said.
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“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.”
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.”
DCS Nick Blackburn, in charge of local policing for the south London area, said: “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 over a suspected threat to an Islamic festival in Suffolk and a man was arrested for an alleged assault outside a mosque in Leyton.
“We have been working closely with our colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing London throughout their investigation and we have increased patrols in the affected areas, which we will look to continue over the coming days.”
Increasing security at mosques
After a string of attacks on mosques in the UK, including alleged plots targeting them and large Muslim gatherings, the Muslim Council of Britain issued the following advice to mosques across the UK last month:
- Carry out lockdown drills
- Strengthen ties with police
- Improve CCTV coverage
- Report hate crimes instantly
The guidance was issued on the anniversary of the terrorist attack on June 19, 2017, when a far-right extremist drove a van into worshippers in Finsbury Park.
