Following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) and Sussex Police in the U.K., a man has pleaded guilty to terrorism offenses and making or possessing explosives.
Scott Porter of St Joseph’s Way, Haywards Heath, Sussex, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court today on September 28. The 43-year-old admitted to making or possessing an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances under Section 4 of the Explosives Substances Act 1883 and possessing terrorist related material under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Two searches were carried out at properties in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill in connection with this investigation in August last year.
Porter will be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on 29 October.
Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, Head of CTPSE, said: “During this investigation it was clear the information found in the possession of Porter would have been useful to someone who wanted to cause harm to our communities.
“Although Porter didn’t have a specific ideology, the information he wrote, researched and designed could have been useful to a terrorist with plans to carry out an attack.
“His actions were reckless and the weight of evidence against him left Porter with no choice but to plead guilty to these serious offenses.”
Detective Superintendent Justina Beeken of Sussex Police said: “We worked closely with Counter Terrorism Policing South East to support their investigation and we are confident there was no specific risk to the local community.”