Boy, 14, believed to have used 'dark web' to try to buy sub-machine gun and ammunition

A 14-year-old boy has appeared in court after trying to buy a sub-machine gun online.A 14-year-old boy has appeared in court after trying to buy a sub-machine gun online.
A 14-year-old boy has appeared in court after trying to buy a sub-machine gun online.
A 14-year-old boy has been charged with attempting to possess a Russian sub-machine gun and 100 rounds of ammunition with intent to endanger life.

A detective said she believed the teenager’s intention was to intimidate another person after using the “dark web” in a bid to obtain the lethal haul.

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The child was detained in a police operation at the Riverside retail park, in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, on Thursday morning.

He had allegedly handed over £150 for the ammunition to an operative, police said, believing he could further purchase a machine gun.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between March 27 and April 7 this year.

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Covert evidence had been obtained and police said they were downloading his online interactions.

The accused, wearing a grey hoodie and red T-shirt, appeared at Ballymena Magistrates’ Court flanked by his father and three police officers.