(BBC) A teenager accused of planning a gun attack has declined to attend his first appearance at the Old Bailey in London.
Muhammad Billal, from Nelson in Lancashire, was arrested on 11 February and charged with two counts of the preparation of terrorist acts, relating to an alleged gun attack plan and travelling to Somalia.
It is alleged that, between February and October 2024, he researched “accessible shooting ranges” and the purchase of “chest rigs” designed to hold ammunition.
The 18-year-old is also alleged to have both conducted online reconnaissance of potential attack locations and to have sought to illicitly buy a firearm.
