First terrorism charge with ‘misanthropy’ cited as motivation

A teenager found with an axe and a stash of knives in a duffle bag has been charged with preparing a terrorist attack in the first case said to be motivated by “misanthropy”.

It comes amid concerns that young people preparing mass casualty attacks are escaping with relatively minor charges because they are not considered to have an ideology.

They have not been charged with preparing terrorist attacks which is defined as the use or threat of serious violence for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause.

The inquiry into the Southport killings has been told about an increasing number of “violence-fixated” young men who are driven by “a mash-up of resentment, rage, and normalised violence”.

The latest case involves a 16-year-old from Nottingham, who is originally from Poland, and cannot be named due to his age.

Read more: The Times (UK)