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Loughborough teenager 'planned school and mosque terror attacks' | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
A teenage boy armed with guns and explosives planned to emulate the Columbine massacre by attacking his former school, jurors have heard. | |
The boy, who was 16 at the time, also listed several other targets in Leicestershire, including a mosque, college, cinema and university. | |
The 17-year-old, from Loughborough, denies terrorism offences. | |
He and two other 17-year-olds have admitted possessing petrol bombs and component parts of pipe bombs. | |
Opening the case at the Old Bailey, Max Hill QC said the jury must consider whether the boy was a "misfit" or "something altogether more sinister and serious". | |
"Is that child's play? Is it harmless? Or is it something more sinister?" he said. | "Is that child's play? Is it harmless? Or is it something more sinister?" he said. |
A Che Guevara notebook emblazoned with Nazi swastikas and English Defence League (EDL) mottos were found when his home was searched by police in February, the jury was told. | |
The notebook included drawings showing how he would arm himself and discussed tactics to carry out "the New Columbine", the court heard. | |
In 1999 two students killed 12 pupils and a teacher in a shooting spree at Columbine High School in Colorado. | |
Dark Knight poster | |
Links to various far-right groups and anti-Islamic writings were found, the jury was told. | |
Mr Hill said the boy claimed to be a member of an EDL branch and had a Nazi swastika on his bedroom wall along with a poster of the Joker from the Batman film, the Dark Knight. | |
A number of homemade videos shown to the jury were allegedly filmed by the boy and his two friends as they tested a type of explosive called a Molotov cocktail. | |
The boys identified themselves as the URA - Urban Revolutionary Army - and could be seen throwing the explosives against a building wall, Mr Hill said. | |
The court was told counter-terrorism officers found a cache of items, including partially assembled petrol bombs, a quantity of part-assembled pipe bombs, other partially constructed improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a stab-proof vest and a number of air, blank and BB guns. | |
The boy, who has Asperger's syndrome, denies possessing articles for for the purpose, preparation and instigation of an act of terrorism and possessing a document or record containing information likely to be useful for a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook. | |
He also denies another charge of possessing parts for an improvised explosive device. | |
None of the teenagers can be named for legal reasons. | None of the teenagers can be named for legal reasons. |
The trial continues. | The trial continues. |