Man due in court charged with terrorist activities

A British man is due to appear in court accused of directing terrorist activities, including attending a training camp in Somalia, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Jermaine Grant, 43, of no fixed address, has been charged with directing the activities of Al-Shabab, after a Counter Terrorism Policing London investigation, the Metropolitan Police said.

Grant faces three charges of attending an Al-Shabab commando training camp in Kismayu and two counts of possession of an AK47 rifle for terrorist purposes, between 31 December 2007 and 1 January 2010 when Al-Shabab was operating in Somalia.

Grant is expected to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime and counter terrorism division, said: "We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.

"It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."

The organisation was labelled a "persistent threat" in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, which carries out "high profile attacks that challenge government authority", according to a 2025 assessment by the UK Government.

The group is also affiliated to al Qaida.

It has targeted international aid workers, journalists, business people and non-government organisations who have opposed or resisted it.

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