A British man has been charged with directing the activities of Somali terrorist group Al Shabab and attending a commando training camp, the Metropolitan Police said.
Jermaine Grant, 43, was arrested at Heathrow airport in 2024 after arriving on a flight from Kenya and has now been charged with offences under the Terrorism Act.
He is accused of directing the activities of Islamic extremist group Al Shabab between December 31, 2007, and January 1, 2010, following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) in London.
Mr Grant is also charged with three counts of attending an Al Shabab commando training camp in Kismayu, in Somalia, and two counts of possession of an AK-47 for terrorist purposes.
“These are serious charges and come as the result of a long-running investigation,” acting commander Kris Wright, of CTP London, said.
“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.”
Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime and counter terrorism division, said 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”.
Mr Grant will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning.
Al Shabab, which means The Youth, is aligned with Al Qaeda and emerged from Somalia’s civil war of the 1990s. It has waged an insurgency against the Somali government since around 2006.
Al Shabab controls parts of central southern Somalia, where collects taxes, and frequently conducts attacks in the region.
It has carried out deadly bombings and raids in Somalia and Kenya, including the 2019 Nairobi hotel complex siege and several major attacks in Mogadishu.
