Man jailed for planning an act of terrorism

A man from Washington has been sentenced to four years imprisonment, and one year on extended licence after being found guilty of planning an act of terrorism.

At a trial at Teesside Crown Court in May, Luke Skelton was convicted of one offence under Section 5 (1) of the Terrorism Act 2006.

The 20 year old will also be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order.

Following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East, supported by Northumbria Police, Skelton was charged in November 2021.

It was found that he openly supported and adopted an extreme right wing ideology. He wrote about his plans to commit a terrorist act and also researched and visited potential targets.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East said: “The defendant’s anger towards society, together with his extreme right-wing views, created a dangerous foundation from which his sinister plans were ultimately built. He was strongly motivated by this mindset, which continued to fuel his actions and his later offending, despite repeated attempts to draw him away from it.

“The evidence clearly demonstrated that he was not just a person who held strong views but a terrorist who wanted to cause serious harm."

Image: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=644538