15 year old appears in court charged with terror offences after arrest in St Albans

The teenager was charged with two counts of disseminating terrorist publications.

Author: Henry Vaughan, Press AssociationPublished 14th Mar 2022
Last updated 14th Mar 2022

A 15-year-old boy accused of sharing bomb-making instructions on social media has appeared in court charged with terrorism offences.

The youngster, who cannot be identified because of his age, is alleged to have twice posted the propaganda video made by the so-called Islamic State group, in chats on the Discord platform in February.

It contains instructions on how to make the explosive TATP, also known as "Mother of Satan", and an improvised explosive device (IED).

The teenager was arrested in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on March 7, and officers were given permission to detain him for a week for questioning, the Metropolitan Police said.

He was charged with two counts of disseminating terrorist publication on Sunday and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Scotland Yard said the charges relate to alleged Islamist extremism.

Standing next to his mother in the well of the court, the boy spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

He was not asked to enter pleas to the charges and Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram remanded him into secure accommodation ahead of his next appearance at the same court on Monday March 21.

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