Teenager convicted of producing explosives

A call to a domestic assault has today led to the conviction of an 18-year-old man, who had spent years manufacturing a collection of weapons from his bedroom.

Today, Sakhile Ntsele, 18 (10.01.2007) of Wandsworth Road, SW8 has been convicted of 14 counts including possession of a firearm and making an explosive substance.

Detective Inspector Raymond Sekalongo, who led the investigation said:

“This was a complex case involving a young man who was completely obsessed with weapons and firearms.

“His obsession continued to grow alongside a self-taught expertise of crafting weapons and our investigation found he was watching videos about weapons almost on a daily basis. Ntsele manipulated everyone around him so that his actions wouldn’t be detected and his family were unaware of the disturbing material Ntsele was viewing.

“We cannot speculate what Ntsele was capable of however the work of our investigation team has ensured that he will not be able to cause harm to anyone.

“This case has highlighted the accessibility of dangerous material available to young people online. We would encourage all parents to be conscious of what their child is accessing online, to prevent them from entering into a dangerous space where they could be influenced into criminality.”

On Sunday, 27 October police were called to Ntsele’s home in Wandsworth following reports of him assaulting a family member by squirting anti-bacterial cleaner in his face. Sakhile Ntsele then attempted to attack his family member with a sword, which he had made from a thin, metal bar.

While at the address, officers grew concerned about Ntsele’s home-made sword and carried out a search of his bedroom with a firearms recovery dog. They recovered seven improvised explosive devices and five firearms with ammunition.

Ntsele was arrested on suspicion of threatening a person with an offensive weapon and threats to kill and charged on Saturday, 29 October. He was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and released on bail for this offence, while officers tested the viability of the firearms recovered.

Enquiries remained ongoing which highlighted that Ntsele had come to the attention of police and other authorities at the age of 14 in December 2021. He was arrested while in possession of 55 rounds of ammunition, some of which he had attempted to adapt by inserting nails within the cartridges. This case was discontinued in March 2023.

Following Ntsele’s arrest in 2024, the leading detective worked to have the 2021 charges reinstated and added to his investigation.

The investigation continued to develop, with analytical work carried out on Ntsele’s phone. His search history revealed the intensity of his obsession with weapons and firearms. Ntsele had spent hundreds of hours watching videos on how to make shotgun shells at home and build home-made weapons.

These searches were paired with repeated purchases which Ntsele made on a relative’s credit card, buying steel balls and potassium nitrate using pseudonyms to avoid detection.

In May 2024, Ntsele had sent videos to a friend of a gun he had made from wooden panels and iron pipes. This gun had been seized by officers and when tested was determined to be functioning and at risk of causing serious harm.

He was further arrested and charged with 26 further offences including eight counts of possession of explosive substances with intent to endanger life, eight counts of making explosive substances for unlawful purpose, five counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and five counts of possession of a firearm without a certificate.

On Monday, 24 November, Ntsele entered a guilty plea for possession of ammunition without a certificate and five counts of possession of a firearm without a certificate. Following an 11-day trial which concluded on Monday, 8 December the jury found him guilty of eight counts of making explosive substances for unlawful purposes. He was found not guilty on all other counts.

He will be sentenced in February 2026 on a date yet to be set.