Two youths, aged 18 and 19, charged with preparing terrorist acts in London

Photo: Henry Nicholls Agence France-Presse In December 2022, MPs expressed alarm at the growing threat of far-right terrorism in the UK. They reported that a growing number of young people under the age of 24 were being targeted by the UK’s domestic intelligence service (MI5) for links to far-right terrorism.

Agence France-Presse in London

Published at 8:50 a.m.

• Europe

An 18-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman have been charged in the United Kingdom with preparing far-right-related terrorist acts, London police said Friday.

Rex William Henry Clark and Sofija Vinogradova are being held on remand and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday.

They were both charged on Thursday with preparing terrorist acts. Sofija Vinogradova is also suspected of gathering “information that may be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”

The case is linked to “suspected far-right terrorist activity,” the Metropolitan Police added.

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“These are extremely serious charges, but I would urge the public not to speculate further on this matter at this time and to allow the justice system to take its course unimpeded,” said Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command.

“We do not believe there is a wider threat related to this investigation,” he added.

The case is “not a consequence of the unrest in the country following the events in Southport,” the police official added.

Cities across the UK have been rioting following a knife attack that killed three girls during a dance class on July 29 in Southport, northwest England.

Rumours about the suspect, incorrectly described as a Muslim asylum seeker, were spread by influential far-right accounts on social media, leading to an outbreak of xenophobic and racist violence across England that continued until last week. More than 1,000 people have been arrested.

Sofija Vinogradova was first arrested on 4 August in Cheshunt, north London, on suspicion of possession of a firearm and “gathering information that could be useful to a terrorist”. She was arrested again on 10 August, along with Rex William Henry Clark.

In December 2022, MPs raised concerns about the growing threat of far-right terrorism in the UK. They reported that a growing number of young people under the age of 24 were being targeted by the UK’s domestic intelligence service (MI5) for links to far-right terrorism.