Teenage ‘white supremacist’ who wanted race war sexually assaulted 12-year-old girl, court hears

Boy, 16, accused of preparing act of terrorism and collecting bomb and weapons manuals in Durham

Half of all magistrates’ courts in England and Wales have closed since 2010 ( (AFP)

A 16-year-old boy allegedly plotted an act of terrorism in a bid to trigger a race war in Britain.

A court heard that the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is a white supremacist who had searched for synagogues and attempted to obtain explosives.

He is also accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl as a means of “desensitisation”.

The boy indicated he would plead not guilty to six terror charges and one sexual offence at a Westminster Magistrates’ Court hearing on Wednesday.

He was allegedly caught with a “shopping list” of items to make petrol bombs when he was arrested in the Durham area on 13 March.

The teenager is charged with one count of engaging in preparation of an act of terrorism between October 2017 and his arrest.

The charge states that his planning included reading extreme right-wing ideological texts, searching for synagogues and trying to secure ammonium nitrate – an explosive component.

The boy is accused of drafting a document called the “Manual for practical and sensible guerrilla warfare against kike system in the Durham city area”. “Kike” is an ethnic slur referring to Jewish people.

Prosecutors said he had searched for information on firearms, explosives, ammunition and weapons, and engaged in the sexual touching of a 12-year-old girl as a “desensitisation technique”.

The teenager faces one count of disseminating a terrorist publication, called DIY Firearms, Modification and Ammunition, and one count of possessing an article for terrorist purposes – a handwritten note of Molotov cocktail ingredients.

He is further charged with three counts of possession of information useful in the preparation of an act of terrorism, including electronic documents on making different kinds of explosives and ricin – a biological warfare agent.

The teenager is also charged with sexually touching a child under the age of 13.

Wearing blue jeans and a black jacket, he stood outside the dock next to his father to confirm his name, date of birth, address and that his nationality is white British.

He indicated not guilty pleas to all charges during Wednesday’s hearing, and was remanded in custody ahead of his next hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Friday.

Additional reporting by PA