Police issue warning after Wakefield teenager sentenced for gathering terror ‘library’
The boy was 14 when he was arrested in 2023 following an investigation into his online activity.
Police have issued a warning after a teenage boy was sentenced for gathering what a detective called a “library” of terrorist publications.
The boy from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was 14 when he was arrested in 2023 following an investigation into his online activity.
Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTPNE) said the youth, now 17, had developed “an extremist mindset and a growing obsession with the manufacture of explosives”.
The force said the white, British teenager shared openly racist, homophobic and antisemitic views online, and said he wanted to join ISIL and make bombs.
CTPNE clarified that he was not a radicalised Muslim.
Investigations revealed that he had stored and shared terrorist material, including mass shootings in the US and recipes for making explosives.
In May, he admitted three counts of possessing information useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and one offence of disseminating terrorist publications.
The pleas were entered on the basis that it was reckless.
He was sentenced at Leeds Youth Court on Wednesday to a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order and a 12-month Youth Rehabilitation Order, CTPNE said.
Superintendent Matthew Davison, Head of Prevent and Interventions at Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “The number of young people in our case load continues to increase, fuelled by the volume of hate-filled propaganda that is readily available online.
“It is concerning to see someone’s views and behaviour escalate in this way.
“He was developing a library of terrorist publications, which he regularly shared with others.
“At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of some very disturbing material and enough information to make his own explosives.”
Mr Davison said young people needed to understand that online activity had consequences.
“Seeking and sharing harmful content has serious implications for their future, and in the wrong hands, it could also pose a threat to the safety of others,” he said.
Friends or family who have concerns about a loved one falling into extremism should contact the ACT Early website or call 0800 011 3764, the detective said.