British man, 43, appears in court accused of directing activities of Somalia-based terror group Al-Shabaab
A British man accused of directing the activities of the Somali-based terrorist organization Al-Shabaab has appeared in court.
Muslim convert Jermaine Grant, 43, is also charged with three counts of participating in a commando training group with the Islamist militant organization in Kismayo, Somalia.
He was also charged with two counts of possessing an AK47 assault rifle for terrorist purposes following investigation by counter-terrorism officers.
The charges relate to the period between 31 December 2007 and 1 January 2010, when Al-Shabaab was operating in Somalia.
The region of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, has been the scene of a series of violent clashes between government forces supported by the African Union and Al-Shabab.
Grant, who was born in London but currently has no fixed address, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
He was wearing a gray tracksuit when he stepped onto the dock, flanked by two armed Metropolitan Police officers.
During the brief hearing, the defendant spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth.
Jermaine Grant, 43, of no fixed address, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on April 16.
Announcing the charges, prosecutor Carl Kelvin said: ‘Grant attended Al-Shabaab training camps, trained as a commando, became a platoon leader, participated in a number of firefights, discharged firearms and took a full part in the hostilities.’
He added that the defendant also trained others in using weapons.
Al-Shabaab was banned as a terrorist organization in the UK in 2010.
District judge Nina Tempia remanded Grant in custody to appear again at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on April 16.
Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime and counter-terrorism section, said: ‘We have decided to prosecute Jermaine Grant on charges of directing the activities of a terrorist organisation, three counts of going to a place for terrorist purposes and two counts of possession of an article for terrorist purposes.
The charges relate to Mr Grant’s alleged links to Al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization operating in Somalia, in 2008 and 2009.
‘Our prosecutors have worked to determine that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal prosecution.
‘We worked closely with the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command in carrying out the investigation.
‘We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and he has the right to a fair trial.’
Acting Commander Kris Wright, of London Counter Terrorism Police, said: ‘These are serious allegations and are the result of a lengthy investigation.
‘This case shows that we will always pursue anyone suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, no matter where in the world or how long ago they allegedly took place.’
Al-Shabaab is a jihadist rebel group operating in Somalia and more recently in Kenya and East Africa.
It developed in the early 2000s with and later in partnership with the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), a group of sharia courts in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
The coalition captured the city and took over as ruler there and much of the rest of the country in 2006.
Al-Shabaab, translated as ‘Jihadist Youth Movement’, was the young, radical armed wing of the UIC.
The union was established in the early 2000s to address the effects of the ongoing Somali Civil War.
However, the organization outlived the UIC, which was expelled from Mogadishu by Ethiopia in December 2006.
Addis Ababa carried out its interventions based on fears for its security and regional and international interests.
Al-Shabaab went on to launch a successful guerrilla insurgency, conquering large parts of Somalia, including important port cities such as Kismayo.
It currently governs most of these regions, especially the south and southwest of the country, which is de facto referred to as the Islamic Emirate of Somalia.
The group, which is allied with the transnational Islamist terrorist organization Al Qaeda, is estimated to have between 5,000 and 9,000 fighters.
Al-Shabaab was behind the massacre at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi Kenya in September 2013, when four masked gunmen killed 67 people.
Its members included Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, who joined the group in 2011, six years after the bombings in London that killed 52 people.
