Two Welsh 18 year-olds have been jointly charged with terror offences. Rhys Edwards and Talan Vincent appeared in court on the 12th December, accused of plotting terrorist attacks against Jewish and Muslim targets in the Welsh Capital, according to Counter Terrorism Policing Wales (CTPW.)

Edwards and Vincent appeared before the Old Bailey, London from the 21st to 22nd of November and remanded in custody. These charges followed their arrests made the day prior to their court appearance.

Wales Online reported earlier this week that these two teenagers have been accused of targeting Madina mosque in Cardiff, as well as a local Jewish cemetery. They are charged under Section 5 of the preparations of acts of Terrorism Act, 2006, from conversations discovered between the two on Discord between October 1st and November 16th 2025. It is reported by the BBC that they “researched and visited attack locations and made arrangements to obtain firearms.”

Prosecutor Christopher Hewerston stated how the Heath and Whitchurch teens allegedly researched acquiring an AR15 automatic weapon, as well the acquisition of sophisticated 3D printing equipment to potentially print gun parts. The court also heard how the two face accusations of planning to reverse a van with false number plates up to the doors of Cathay’s Madina Mosque, ensuring no one could escape, before allegedly planning to open fire with automatic weapons and escape the scene. The Mosque, located on Lucas street near the popular Crwys Road, had served the Cardiff community for over 30 years, providing facilities for students and locals in Cathays.

It is also alleged that they discussed purchasing ammonium nitrate explosive to load into a van, as well as how they would be able to acquire such an amount without arousing suspicion. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound predominantly used in agriculture as a fertilizer, but serves another popular function as a component of explosive mixtures used within construction.

Most common incidents regarding Ammonium nitrate based explosions are reported as accidents, however, in 2011 Norway’s Oslo suffered 8 casualties and over 210 injuries following a bombing using a similar method described within these alleged plans.

Within the pair’s Discord conversations alleged, comments made by Edwards describes his claims regarding the “superiority of his own race” as well as his intent to kill both Muslim and Jewish people. Vincent is accused of researching software security regarding the locations for the attacks, with allegations made that the defendants had sourced aerial photos of the locations they planned to attack, including the Jewish cemetery located near Roath park, as well as a synagogue close to the city centre.

Wales Online also reported that the court was given an indication that they intend to plead not guilty, with a three-week trial set to take place at the start of February 2027 at Bristol Crown Court. BBC expanded on this, with Edward’s representative stating that his comments on Discord were nothing more than “rage-baiting.”

Rage baiting or not, the comments that the pair have allegedly made, and the horrific plans described within the court statements highlight the prevalent rise in racism, Anti-Semintism and Islamophobia in recent years. 2022 saw three times more hate crime related incidents reported in Wales according to data from a Jewish Charity, as well as a shocking rise of offences regarding islamophobic resulting in a call for the Senedd to ‘do more to stamp out this issue.’

Images (Madina Mosque) , Google Earth                                                      (Old Bailey) Bill Henderson, via Wikimedia