A CO Down teenager appeared in court on Friday accused of collecting information likely to be of use to terrorists.
Appearing at Newry Youth Court the 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified because of his age, confirmed his date of birth and that he understood the single charge against him.
The teenager is accused of collecting information of a kind “likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism” on 23 April this year.
Giving evidence to the court a detective constable said he believed he could connect the 16-year-old to the offence and while the full facts of the case were not opened, defence solicitor Ciaran Downey told the court the charge centred on “Islamic extremism based on the examination of a number of devices.”
“What mobile devices does he have now?” District Judge Eamon King asked, suggesting that given the nature of the charge “he could have a Nokia phone and that would still allow him to be contacted.”
Mr Downey said given the teenager’s situation, the authorities were content for him to have a mobile phone but with certain conditions.
Granting bail in the sum of £350, Judge King added numerous conditions to the bail order including that the teenager “should not have any mobile device which can access the internet.”
In relation to the mobile phone which the defendant does have, the judge ordered that he has to provide police with the phone number and password to access it and that he must not change the passcode.
The defendant is also barred from using anyone else’s phone, he is not allowed to buy any other phone “and you are not to delete any search history.”
The case was adjourned to 17 January.