Paintball teens accused of plot to fight for ISIS

FIVE teenage boys have appeared in court on terrorism charges that include taking part in paintballing as preparation for an alleged plan to travel to Syria to join terror group Islamic State.

The suspects, i ncluding a 15-year-old schoolboy, are all from London. The group – with the exception of the 15-year-old – are alleged to have planned to travel to Syria. Two are accused of buying tickets and obtaining visas to first go to Turkey.

Four are charged with not only ‘the intention of committing acts of terrorism’ but also ‘preparation for giving effect to this intention’ by going to a gym ‘to increase fitness’ and by taking part in paintballing.

All five appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in Central London. The charges include possessing and disseminating extremist material, which included a bomb-making recipe, as well as videos of beheadings of prisoners by Islamic State (IS). Four of the suspects, aged between 16 and 19, have been remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on March 19.

The eldest member of the group, Ahmedeltigani Alsyed, 19, is of Sudanese origin and lives in Hounslow, West London. He was charged with attending a gym to increase fitness as well as a paintballing event as preparation for travel to Syria to join IS.

A 17-year-old, from West London, was also charged with attending a gym to increase his fitness and a paintballing event for eventual travel to Syria.

He was charged with disseminating extremist material, which included executions of IS prisoners, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006. A 17-year-old from Morden, South West London, and a 16-year-old from Lambeth, were charged with buying tickets and visas for Turkey as well as survival equipment for travel to Syria.

The 17-year-old was also charged with possessing a terror manual called The Successful Pressure Cooker Bomb. None of the four entered a plea.

The 15-year-old schoolboy of Somalian origin, from Waltham Forest, East London, appeared in a separate youth court at the same court, and was charged with two counts of disseminating extremist material. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. He will appear again at youth court on April 19.

He was remanded into the custody of the local authorities while living at his family address with conditions including a night curfew; restricted internet access; reporting to a local police station; and a ban on international travel.