LONDON: British police have charged a 14-year-old boy with a terrorism offence linked to extreme right-wing ideology over an alleged plan to attack two mosques in south London.

The boy was arrested last week over criminal damage to a car, but police searches found documents that led to a charge of “conduct in preparation for giving effect to an intention to conduct acts of terrorism”.

“This is a very serious terrorism charge against a young boy and likely to be highly concerning to the public and the local community,” Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Police said they did not believe the case pointed to a wider threat, but added th­­­­at they had offered support to the mosques.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2026