BBC Newsnight were doing some pieces on global food shortages this week:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7347123.stm

@lolcat stevens

"It's worth pointing out that both of those compounds are perfectly legal to own."

Which is probably why he's being charged with "possession of material for terrorism purposes under Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and with the collection or possession of information useful in the preparation of an act of terrorism, under Section 58 of the same act" and not "possession of a bag of potassium nitrate".

Most explosive chemicals are probably perfectly innocuous. Ask the IRA if you want to know how to create devestation with simple 'household' materials. The point is, should people that you suspect of using 'simple household chemicals' to make (and use) explosives, get away with it simply because the core elements are available on the high street? Presumably not ('fertiliser bomb terror plot').

It is entirely possible that a 17 year-old schoolboy has perfectly decent reasons for stockpiling these chemicals in his bedroom. This is why we have a legal process, in this country, and why the matter is currently in the hands of the courts. My point is that Mark Frauenfelder seems to have tried to pass this off as the 'UK Government' clamping down on freedom of speech -- "Strange that a book freely available on amazon.co.uk can get you arrested" -- when a simple google search would have demonstrated that a book freely available on amazon.co.uk has not, on its own, led to anyone getting arrested.

Brian says: A 17-year-old in the UK was arrested for "collection or possession of information useful in the preparation of an act of terrorism" due to his possession of the Anarchist Cookbook

... and half a kilo of potassium nitrate ("a critical oxidising component of gunpowder")...

... and a quarter of a kilo of calcium chloride ("which features in the chapter 'How to Make a Plastic Explosive'")

Google. It's easy when you know how: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk.