A 16-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to terrorism offences at Manchester Magistrates Court today – she has ties to the Blackburn teen who became the youngest convicted terrorist last month.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two counts of section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and received a 12 month referral order.
After an investigation into a 15-year-old boy from Blackburn, officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit (NWCTU) found a total of 16,260 messages between the two teenagers.
When searching her home in Longsight, officers found a mobile phone and sketch pad containing images of weapons, people about to be executed, radical figures such as Osama Bin Laden, and ISIS symbols.
On the phone’s memory card, a cookbook was found which explained how to make a wide range of explosives including exploding light bulbs and a nail grenade.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, head of the NWCTU said: “We do not know whether the girl would have carried out any specific attack on a specific area but we do know she had all the information at hand to create explosives that could seriously injure or kill someone.
“When we seized her phone, it was clear the girl was downloading images of Islamic State material and propaganda as well as images of different weapons.
“The cook book had explicit instructions on how to combine certain chemicals to create explosions as well as how to build homemade bombs.
“We also discovered conversations between her and the boy from Blackburn although both were not involved with each other’s plans.
“This is another reminder of how important it is for the community and families of those who believe their loved one may be in danger of becoming radicalised to call police as soon as possible.
“We all share a responsibility of tackling extremism and helping keep our communities safe. If you have any suspicions at all, please call us.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
