Police in Britain charge man over terror knife attack plot

A man who allegedly plotted a knife attack in Britain has been charged with terrorism offences, police said on Wednesday. 

The 21-year-old is accused of conducting research and buying a knife and other items to help him carry out an attack, police said in a statement.

The suspect from Birmingham, central England, was arrested in the city on 29 March.

He was also charged with having copies of the "Anarchist Cookbook 2000" and "Mujahideen Poisons Handbook," which police said would be useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism.

A 23-year-old woman was also charged, accused of sending beheading videos and propaganda by the Islamic State (IS) group to others, encouraging acts of terror. 

Police said the knife plot was not linked to an attack on the British parliament on 22 March, in which a man drove into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer before being shot dead.

Four people were killed and dozens injured in the attack by 52-year-old Khalid Masood, who had been living in Birmingham before the central London attack.

Britain kept its terrorism threat level at "severe" after the Westminster assault.

The Birmingham terror charges come a day after another man suspected of preparing acts of terrorism was arrested in London, as he was trying to leave Britain from a train station served by Eurostar.

The 18-year-old was apprehended by the counter-terrorism command at St Pancras International station and released on bail on Wednesday.