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Teen Jailed for 14 Months Over Terror Manual After Praising Southport Killer

Prosecutors said his online activity amounted to violent fantasising, not a credible plot.

Overview

  • McKenzie Morgan, 18, was sentenced at the Old Bailey after pleading guilty to possessing information likely to be useful to a person engaged in terrorism under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
  • Police found a 188-page al Qaeda training manual on his device, and evidence showed attempted purchases of a 15cm knife, searches of local playgrounds and a dance academy, and a phone note titled "places to attack."
  • Court evidence detailed Snapchat messages praising Axel Rudakubana, claims about trying to make ricin, and statements about bombing the Oasis reunion concert in Cardiff on 4 July 2025.
  • He was arrested on 2 June 2025 after a psychiatric nurse disclosed his comments about planning a Rudakubana-style attack, following earlier reports from peers and concerns raised with children’s mental health services.
  • Judge Sarah Whitehouse said he was vulnerable to bullying, grooming and radicalisation and ordered a criminal behaviour order with a further year on licence after release.