A British teenager, Sakhile Ntsili, has been convicted of 14 charges, including possession of firearms and manufacturing explosives. The investigation was a complex case involving a young man obsessed with firearms, according to lead Inspector Raymond Sekalungu. The court found that Ntsili, 18, spent years collecting and making weapons in his bedroom. The arsenal was discovered after he attacked a family member with a homemade sword. A search of his room revealed seven primitive explosive devices and five loaded firearms. Online search records also showed he spent hundreds of hours watching videos on how to make shotgun shells and homemade firearms. The Metropolitan Police first became aware of Ntsili in 2021 when he was 14, after he was caught with 55 cartridges that he was attempting to modify by inserting nails into them. Ntsili is scheduled to be sentenced by the court in February of next year. Inspector Sekalungu stated: "This was a complex case involving a young man who was completely obsessed with firearms. His obsession grew in parallel with the self-taught experience he gained in making weapons, as the investigation revealed he was watching weapon-related videos on an almost daily basis." He added: "His family was unaware of the concerning material he was accessing. We can only speculate as to what he might have been capable of without police intervention." The inspector noted that the case highlighted the ease with which young people can access dangerous materials online, calling on parents to monitor their children's browsing to protect them from drifting towards dangerous paths that could lead to crime.
