Teenager admits terror charges

A 16-year-old boy has admitted possessing explosive chemicals and bomb-making books and diagrams.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two terror charges and another offence at a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates' Court.

He admitted possessing explosive substances and a host of literature including a book on how to make the explosive Semtex.

The boy, who was arrested at his home in Northamptonshire, in February last year, admitted possessing explosive substances, namely sulphur powder and potassium nitrate, between January 1 2012 and February 26 2012.

He also admitted possession of numerous books and manuals, of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism between October 1 2011 and February 26 2012 contrary to Section 58(1)(b) of the Terrorism Act 2000.

The texts in his possession included; The Terrorist Handbook; The Black Book Companion: State-Of-The-Art Improvised Munitions; CIA Explosives For Sabotage Manual; Handbook of Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents; Home Explosives Workshop; Home-made Semtex; Home-made C4 - A Recipe For Survival and Improved Landmines - Their Employment And Destructive Capabilities.

The list of manuals further included; The Department of the Army's Improvised Munitions Handbook; Improvised Munitions Black Book; Improvised Radio Detonation Techniques; Improvised Weapons of the American Underground; Incendiaries - Advanced Improvised Explosives; Kitchen Improvised Fertilizer Explosives; Ragnar's Detonators; An Anarchist Cookbook - Recipes For Disaster; The Anarchist's Cookbook; Department of the Army Manual - Unconventional Warfare Devices and Techniques - Incendiaries; The Advanced Anarchist Arsenal; and ZIP's Arsenal of Pipes Improvised Weapons and Pens.

He also admitted possession of a quantity of prohibited images of children in Northamptonshire, on February 26, 2012.

Since his arrest he has been detained under the Mental Health Act in secure accommodation in the West Midlands area, said Mark Topping, prosecuting.