Terror threat teen wanted to attack mosque and kill 10,000

The teenager was arrested in June after other online users reported him

A 17-year-old boy who wanted to "shoot up a mosque" and kill 10,000 people has been given a rehabilitation order.

The teenager, from Wiltshire, was given the 24-month order at Southampton Youth Court.

He had pleaded guilty to possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Counter-terror police said they were having to deal with an increase in right-wing terror threats.

A spokesman for Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said "concerned" members of the public had reported the boy after he had made "numerous racist comments" in online forums.

"[He] had talked about wanting to kill Muslims by 'shooting up a mosque'," they added.

The teenager was arrested on 18 June and during a property search detectives uncovered a handwritten note called 'The Big Plan'.

"This contained details of how to make a bomb, a number of named locations and individuals who were believed to be aspirational targets, and an intention to kill in excess of 10,000 people," the spokesman added.

Detective Ch Supt Kath Barnes, head of CTPSE, praised the people who had contacted the anti-terrorism hotline to report the behaviour.

"I know this case may be concerning to certain members of the community who were the target of the atrocious hatred," she said.

"We have seen an increase in the proportion of our investigations from the threat from extreme right-wing terrorism who wish to cause harm in our communities.

"We take that threat very seriously and this is why the whole of the counter terrorism community, as well as the whole of society, has a role to play in tackling it."

Wiltshire Police's Asst Ch Const, Deb Smith, said: "I hope that our communities feel reassured that we acted swiftly, in conjunction with our partners, to ensure that this individual was detained and could no longer pose a risk to the wider public."

The 17-year-old was also ordered to pay a £22 court surcharge.

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