Teenager charged with possession of bomb making supplies

A 16-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with being in possession of bomb making supplies he had bought off the internet.

The teenager is charged with possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances and possession of prohibited weapons following a security alert in Omagh on Monday.

Dungannon Magistrates' Court heard that he had been in possession of potassium nitrate and sulphur powder which he had bought online.

Following a call, police carried out a search of his home and bedroom and found the substances along with three improvised explosive devices, a taser, a stun gun, a combat uniform as well as items for the production of counterfeit cash and bank cards.

During police interviews the teenager disclosed, that after carrying out research on YouTube and Telegram he had set off an explosive device at a park in Omagh in the presence of friends.

Police told the court he had used his mother's Amazon account to buy the products for £20 and he had told her they were for growing plants.

He denied any subscription to any particular ideology and said he had not accessed the dark web.

He told police that the stab vest and knives in his possession were for cos play, he did not wish to harm anyone and did not know that some of the weapons were unlawful.

The court also heard that the teenager has "considerable knowledge" of building explosives with the police officer outlining how he is "self taught using online tools".

The police told the court that while police carried out searches at his home he received a delivery of acetone.

The police woman told the court that this signalled an "escalation" of the power of the explosive devices being made and that he is "a danger to himself and others".

"He does not wish to harm with his experimentation, it's for his own curiosity, but it could lead to death or injury of others."

The teenager asked to be allowed to address the court, but the judge denied his request saying there was "no need" as he had his solicitor there to speak on his behalf.

Petitioning for bail to be granted his solicitor told the court that there was "no evidence of any harm to the public".

The judge granted him bail with a number of strict conditions.

He must reside at another address in County Fermanagh, observe a curfew from 21:00 - 07:00 BST and wear a tag.

He was told he cannot leave the jurisdiction, is not allowed a phone with internet access, or unsupervised internet access and he must engage with social services and youth diversion services.

The judge told him that any breach would lead to a return to custody and gave him 48 hours to provide all his log in details to the electronic equipment police have seized.

He was released to appear again in Omagh on 14 September.