Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15
London Police Charge 14-Year-Old Over Plot Targeting 2 Sutton Mosques
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15

London Police Charge 14-Year-Old Over Plot Targeting 2 Sutton Mosques

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15

Summary

  • Counter-terrorism police charged a 14-year-old south London boy with preparing terrorist acts by 9 July over an alleged extreme rightwing plot against two Sutton mosques.
  • A search at his home after a 9 July arrest over alleged criminal damage uncovered "documents of concern," leading investigators and prosecutors to bring the terrorism charge.
  • Metropolitan Police said the two mosques have been contacted and supported by specialist officers, with no other suspects sought, while local patrols have been increased.
  • The boy also faces a racially aggravated property-damage charge over an alleged car-window attack on or before 20 June, as police warned of a rising number of children in terrorism casework.
  • The case comes amid broader concern over anti-Muslim threats, days after 12 arrests over a suspected threat to an Islamic festival in Suffolk and after new guidance urged UK mosques to tighten security.

Insights

Are gaming platforms becoming the new frontier for radicalizing teens into terrorists?
Why are children in 'appealing' neighborhoods being drawn to violent extremism online?