LONDON
A British man has been charged in the UK with terror offenses linked to the Somali-based group Al-Shabaab.
Jermaine Grant, 43, was charged with directing the Islamist organization’s activities from Dec. 31, 2007 to Jan. 1, 2010, and with three counts of attending a training camp in Kismayu, Somalia. He was also charged with two counts of possessing an AK-47 for the purpose of committing acts of terrorism.
Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime and counter terrorism division, said: “We have decided to prosecute Jermaine Grant with directing the activities of a terrorist organisation, three counts of attending a place for terrorist purposes and two counts of possession of an article for terrorist purposes.
“The charges relate to Mr. Grant’s alleged involvement in 2008 and 2009 with Al-Shabaab, a terrorist organisation operating in Somalia.
“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.
“We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command as it carried out its investigation.
“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.”
Kris Wright, acting commander of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “These are serious charges and come as the result of a long-running investigation.
“This case shows we will always pursue anyone suspected of being involved in terrorist activity, no matter where in the world or how long ago it is alleged to have taken place.”
Al-Shabaab is responsible for numerous attacks across the region, including the 2019 DusitD2 hotel attack in Nairobi, Kenya that left 21 people dead, the 2015 Garissa University attack in northern Kenya that killed 147 people, and the 2013 Westgate Shopping Mall attack that killed 67 people in the Kenyan capital.
The group, which has ties to Al-Qaeda, has been labeled a “persistent threat” in the Somali capital of Mogadishu by the UK government, which warned it pursues “high profile attacks that challenge government authority.”
