A teenager who plotted to carry out terrorist attacks inspired by the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been sentenced to youth detention.
Sinister Plans for Poison and Knives
McKenzie Morgan, now 18 and from Cwmbran in South Wales, admitted at the Old Bailey to possessing a document useful for terrorism. His plans showed an eerie echo of the horrific Southport attack last year, where Rudakubana murdered three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Morgan, who was 17 at the time of his offences, told friends he wanted to mirror that attack. His sinister intentions included unleashing poison at a sell-out Oasis concert at Cardiff's Principality Stadium and carrying out a stabbing at a local dance academy.
Snapchat Messages and a Terror Manual
The court heard how Morgan praised the Southport attacker in Snapchat messages between 7 April and 2 June. He shared images of Rudakubana and discussed his desire to launch a similar terrorist-style attack. Prosecutor Corinne Bramwell told the court Morgan claimed he was trying to make the deadly poison ricin.
One of his Snapchat contacts reported him to the police. Concerns were also raised by his mother, leading to a referral to children's mental health services. On 2 June, Morgan told a psychiatric nurse he wanted to hurt others and was planning a Rudakubana-style attack, having enjoyed watching videos of terror attacks.
The nurse immediately disclosed the conversation to police, who arrested Morgan at his home in Cwmbran later that same day. Officers seized his devices, where they found a terrorist manual. Further examination revealed disturbing searches and messages, including:
- A message asking "how to burn people's faces".
- A statement saying: "In my head I now have the motivation to go ahead with some sort of attack."
- A picture of a 15cm kitchen knife sent with the question: "Would this work?"
Records showed he attempted to purchase the knife. He also searched for local playgrounds and a youth dance academy, later creating a note on his phone titled "places to attack" which included a map screenshot of the academy.
Sentencing and Mitigation
On Friday 16 January, Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC sentenced Morgan at the Old Bailey to 14 months in a youth detention facility. Prosecutor Bramwell stated Morgan posed a high risk to others and to himself.
In mitigation, barrister Michael Stradling pointed out the teenager had no history of violence and argued the greater risk was of self-harm. Stradling told the court Morgan had expressed heartfelt remorse for his actions.
During police interviews, Morgan admitted reading the terror manual but claimed his Snapchat messages were sent out of "boredom". He denied trying to make ricin or genuinely intending to attack the targets, saying he only meant "to shock". He also told police he had been unhappy and bullied at school.
Morgan could not be named during earlier proceedings due to his age, but the restriction was lifted on his 18th birthday.
