Teenager on terror charge in UK

A 17-year-old arrested during a series of anti-terror raids was appearing in court in the UK today.

The teenager, who was held following raids across south-east England last Tuesday, was charged yesterday with conspiracy to cause explosions with intent to injure or damage property.

He was appearing at Bow Street Magistrates Court, which will be sitting as a youth court.

Extensions of the custody period were granted on Monday for a further eight men arrested in last week’s raids under the Terrorism Act.

Police arrested eight people and searched several properties in London and the South East last Tuesday, in connection with a suspected terror attack.

More than 700 police officers were involved in the operation, which came as half a ton of ammonium nitrate fertiliser was seized from a west London self-storage unit.

A ninth man, believed to be a 27-year-old teacher of Pakistani descent, was arrested in Maiden Lane, Crawley, West Sussex, on Thursday evening.

In Canada, software engineer Mohammad Momin Khawaja, 24, has appeared in court accused of being involved in terrorist-related activity since November 2003 in Ottawa and “at or near the City of London, England,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.