A British man has been charged with offences linked to an Islamist terror group based in Somalia.
Jermaine Grant, 43, of no fixed address, has been charged with directing the activities of Al-Shabaab between 31 December 2007 and 1 January 2010, the Metropolitan Police said.
He is also charged with three counts of attending an Al-Shabaab commando training camp in Kismayu in Somalia, contrary to Section 8 of the Terrorism Act 2006 and two counts of possession of an article (AK47) for terrorist purposes, contrary to Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
The charges follow an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London.
Grant will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning.
Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime and counter terrorism division, said: “We have decided to prosecute Jermaine Grant with directing the activities of a terrorist organisation, three counts of attending a place for terrorist purposes and two counts of possession of an article for terrorist purposes.
“The charges relate to Mr Grant’s alleged involvement in 2008 and 2009 with Al-Shabaab, a terrorist organisation operating in Somalia.
“Our 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.
“We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command as it carried out its investigation.
“We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.
“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Al-Shabaab is an Islamist armed group that has been linked to al Qaida.
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.
It has targeted international aid workers, journalists, business people and non-government organisations who have opposed or resisted it.
The group has claimed responsibility for high-profile attacks outside of Somalia, including the 2019 attack on Nairobi’s DusitD2 luxury hotel complex that left 21 people dead, the 2015 shooting at Garissa University in northern Kenya which killed 147 students, and the 2013 attack that killed 67 people at Nairobi’s Westgate Shopping Mall.
