Boy charged with terrorism offence following Counter Terrorism Policing Investigation

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with a terrorism offence, as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing London investigation.

On Thursday, 9 July, officers arrested a 14-year-old boy at an address in the south London area. He was initially arrested on suspicion of criminal damage of a vehicle, which occurred on 20 June in the Sutton area.

Officers also carried out a search of the address and after identifying a number of documents of concern at the location, the boy was subsequently arrested on suspicion of an offence under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 – preparation of terrorist acts – linked to extreme right-wing terrorism.

A warrant of further detention was obtained on Saturday, 11 July, and after carrying out further enquiries, and liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service, the boy was charged with two offences, namely:

• On or before 9 July 2026, engaged in conduct in preparation for giving effect to an intention to conduct acts of terrorism contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act, 2006
• On or before 20 June 2026 without lawful excuse damaged property belonging to another, intending to damage such property (a car window) and the offence was racially aggravated, contrary to section 30 of the Crime and Disorder Act, 1998.

The terrorism charge relates to an alleged plan to target two mosques in the Sutton area. The mosques affected have been contacted by police and are being provided with ongoing advice and support by specialist officers. Officers have also been in contact with the victim in relation to the damaged vehicle. There is not believed to be any enduring or wider threat in relation to this matter and police are not seeking any other people in connection with this investigation.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of CTP London said: “This is a very serious terrorism charge against a young boy and likely to be highly concerning to the public and the local community. 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.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Nick Blackburn, who is in charge of local policing for the south London area said: “We acknowledge that this will be concerning for the local Muslim community and have been working together with our local partners to provide reassurance and support and I would like to thank all those involved for their understanding.

"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.

“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 coming days. As always, should anyone have any concerns, then they can contact us or their local police neighbourhoods team.”

The boy has been remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 16 July.

Commander 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. However, parents, carers, teachers and others who work with young people also have an important role to play.

“If you’re concerned that a child or young person may be vulnerable to radicalisation, we would urge you to seek support and contact ACT Early. Early intervention can make a significant difference and help prevent individuals from coming to harm or becoming involved in criminal activity.”

If you are worried about someone, then visit the ACT Early website - actearly.uk - or call the Act Early Support Line on 0800 011 3764, in confidence, to speak with specially trained officers.