Man due in court charged with terrorist activities

A British man is due to appear in court accused of directing terrorist activities, including taking part in 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-Shabaab, after a Counter Terrorism Policing London investigation, the Metropolitan Police said.

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

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

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 has also been linked to al Qaida.

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