Teens face London court hearing on far-right terrorism charges unrelated to recent UK rioting

LONDON -- Two teenagers were due in a London courtroom Friday on charges related to extreme right-wing terrorism that is not connected to recent rioting in the country, police said.

Rex Clark, 18, of London and Sofija Vinogradova, 19, of Cheshunt, northeast of the city, face charges of preparation of terrorist acts. Vinogradova is also charged with two counts of collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Police said their investigation was ongoing but they don't think there's a broader threat at this time.

“These are extremely serious charges but I would urge the public not to speculate any further about this case," said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the counter-terrorism force at the Metropolitan Police.

Vinogradova was initially arrested on Aug. 4 on suspicion of having a gun and collecting information that could be useful to a terrorist. She was arrested again Aug. 10 with Clark and police got a warrant to detain them.

Murphy said the allegations are not related to recent unrest that swept across much of England and roiled Belfast, Northern Ireland. More than a week of violent clashes with police broke out July 30 after far-right agitators spread misinformation online that incorrectly said the suspect in a stabbing that killed three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class was a Muslim asylum seeker.

The two teens were due to appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court.