(Picture: Getty Images)
A 14-year-old boy will appear in court suspected of plotting to target two mosques in south London.
The teen, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was arrested at a home in south London on Thursday.
Officers said he was initially arrested on suspicion of criminal damage to a vehicle in Sutton the week before.
But a search of the address revealed ‘documents of concern’, Met Police said.
The boy was further arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts linked to extreme right-wing terrorism.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
The mosques affected have been contacted by police and are being supported 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.
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.’
DCS 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.’
The boy has been remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
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.’