Tag Archives: Terrorism related.

Combat 18 and Adolf Hitler disciple Connor Ward was captured with a stun gun, knuckle dusters, knives, metal bars, ball bearings and rocket tubes.

Neo-Nazi Connor Ward was caught with knuckle dusters, knives, metal bars, ball bearings and rocket tubes

A neo-Nazi who acquired components for potential bombs and kept a list of Scottish mosque addresses is behind bars after being convicted of planning terror attacks.

Connor Ward, 25, acquired hundreds of ball bearings which could be used in pipe bombs and rocket tubes which could be used to fire projectiles.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the fascist acquired an arms cache which included a stun gun, hundreds of knuckle dusters, knives and metal bars.

Ward, who was previously jailed for three years in 2012 for possessing an explosive substance, also acquired a number of deactivated bullets.

The court heard the ammo could have been reactivated for use in a firearm.

Horrified police discovered the lethal horde after receiving a tip off that Ward had broke strict firearms legislation by buying a stun gun from abroad.

Detectives who searched Ward’s home in Banff, Aberdeenshire, also found he had acquired a mobile phone signal jamming device and a machine for picking up hidden bugs.

And they also discovered that Ward had downloaded tens of thousands of documents from the internet on firearms and survival techniques.

The files also contained extreme right-wing propaganda and documents about military tactics.

Detectives also found a Google Maps-style file containing the postal addresses of five Islamic places of worship in the Aberdeen area on Ward’s computer.

They also found that Ward, who told jurors he thought Hitler had made mistakes, had started to compose a book called “Combat 18 British Mosque Address Book.”

The court heard that Combat 18 is the name of an extreme British right-wing paramilitary group

The court heard how in the title page of the book, the accused had written a dedication which read: “This book is dedicated to all that follow Mohammed and the Islamic faith.”

“You will all soon suffer your demise.”

This prompted the police to fear that Ward was set to launch terrorism attacks.

Ward, a former psychiatric patient, claimed he was suffering from mental illness at the time he downloaded the documents.

He said that he acquired the files because he believed the world was going to end in 2012 and he wanted to survive the apocalypse.

But jurors refused to believe Ward’s claims and returned guilty verdicts on two charges of breaching the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Terrorism Act 2006.

Their verdicts came on the fifth week of proceedings against him.

The first charge which Ward was convicted of stated that between February 26, 2011, and November 21, 2014, he did “with the intention of committing acts of terrorism, engage in conduct in preparation of said acts”.

The second charge stated that on the same date, Ward did “collect or make a record of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”

The secretive neo-Nazi had a bug detection device in case he was being spied upon

Prosecution lawyer Richard Goddard told the court that Ward had been previously jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh on another explosives charge.

He said: “He was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh on October 30, 2012, on a charge of contravening the 1883 explosives act.

The neo-Nazi had obtained a mobile phone signal jammer

“He collected the chemical constituents of a bomb. His motivation then was to harm his father.”

Mr Goddard also told the court that Ward was given a 22 month jail sentence in April 2015 for possessing a stun gun.

He was also convicted in July 2016 of having an “improvised” knife whilst serving that prison sentence and given another 18 months.

In August 2016, the court heard how Ward was sentenced to another four months for assaulting somebody whilst in custody.

Mr Goddard said the Crown wanted to submit a serious organised crime prevention order.

This would limit the ability of Ward to reoffend following his release from prison.

Lord Burns adjourned sentence on Ward for the court to obtain reports on his character.

He said: “In light of the verdict of the jury and your previous convictions, I am going to call for a report on the risk you pose to members of the public.”

Ward first came to public attention after he was jailed for three years in December 2012. He had pleaded guilty to making threats and possessing an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Ward told police that he bore a grudge against his father, who had a child with his previous ex girlfriend.

Ward said “voices in his head” were telling him to kill his dad.

When detectives raided his house, they found chemicals together with items for making bombs.

Nearby houses had to be evacuated.

Passing sentence, judge Lord Uist said: “It is clear that you harbour a deep hatred for your father as you told the police that it was your intention to kill him and also yourself by means of a bomb.”

When Ward was released from that jail term, police continued to monitor him. And in November 2014, officers raided Ward’s property after receiving a tip off that he had purchased a stun gun from abroad.

Upon arriving at the property, detectives found the stun gun, which was disguised as a torch, hundreds of knuckledusters and knives.

Cops searching Ward’s mum’s house in Banff also found dozens of weapons.

PC Richard Roach, 34, was one of the officers who searched Ward’s property.

He told the court that material including deactivated bullets, rocket tubes and 500 steel ball bearings were found there.

When Mr Goddard asked PC Roach about the significance of the ball bearings, the officer replied: “Items like this can be used in pipe bombs – that’s why it was seized.”

Computer expert James Borwick was asked by detectives to search a USB stick and a laptop belonging to Ward.

Police then became alarmed at the discovery of files on the computer.

The white supremacist had a medieval-type flail as part of his cache of weapons

Detectives formed the conclusion that Ward was planning to commit terrorist attacks as a so called “lone wolf”.

Mr Borwick found a Google Maps-style document detailing the locations of five mosques in Aberdeen.

The computer expert also said that some of the Google searches made on Ward’s laptop included phrases like ‘fake police warrant cards,’ ‘How to Make a Flash Grenade’ and ‘How to Make Inert Bullets work’.

Mr Borwick told the court that the computer contained the TOR Internet Browser – which he said gave Ward the ability to surf the dark web and to potentially look at sites which sold guns and explosives.

He also downloaded tens of thousands of documents from the internet detailing military and survival techniques.

Some of the files had titles like ‘AK47 Assault Rifle Operator Manual’ and ‘Dragonov 7.62mm SVD.pdf’.

Other titles downloaded by Ward onto his computer included ‘Techniques of Silent Killing’ and the ‘White Resistance Manual’.

Professor Matthew Feldman, 41, was asked by the police to analyse the content found on Ward’s computer.

The academic, who specialises in studying extreme right-wing political groups, said he found that Ward had a total of 2,043 ‘extreme right wing’ punk rock songs on his computer.

Mr Feldman said he found that Ward had downloaded a 214-page copy of Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler.

Ward also had a copy of book called the Turner Diaries which tells a story about white people who start a war against other races.

The court heard that David Copeland read the book before starting a bombing campaign in London in 1999 and that the FBI consider the novel to be the “bible” of neo-Nazism.

Professor Feldman said he believed that Ward was an “exemplary” neo-Nazi.

Officers feared that with the information, Ward was going to launch an attack – perhaps on mosques close to his home in Aberdeen.

Ward admitted in court that he was a “white supremacist” who was “definitely” anti-Jewish.

He also said that he was also against “Jihadi” Islam.

The FBI consider the Turner Diaries to be the “bible” of neo-Nazism

But he denied suggestions that he was planning a terrorism attack.

Ward claimed that he was suffering from mental illness at the time he downloaded 19,000 documents about firearms and another 22,000 files on ‘survivalist’ techniques.

He told defence advocate Drew McKenzie that he did this because of his poor mental health.

He added: “I believed the world was coming to an end on December 21, 2012.

“I stockpiled weapons. I taught myself survival techniques.”

When Mr McKenzie asked him why he needed to learn these techniques, Ward replied: “If the end of the world was gonna come, I was gonna be a survivor – there would be other people trying to survive as well.

“We’ve all seen films about the apocalypse. Violence is rife. It would be either kill or be killed.”

In cross examination, Mr Goddard pointed out that one of documents found on Ward’s computer was called “Combat 18 British Mosque Address Book”.

The dedication on the book read: “The book is dedicated to all that follow Mohammed and the Islamic faith. You will all soon suffer your demise.”

Mr Goddard said this indicated that Ward wanted to carry out a terrorism act.

Mr Goddard said: “What do you think of Adolf Hitler?”

Ward replied: “I think he made mistakes. He wasn’t right in every aspect.”

But Ward denied he was planning to carry out terrorism attacks.

Speaking about the Combat 18 book, Ward said the title was a “working one”.

He added: “That’s how it sounded in my head. To me at the time that phrase was not a threat in the way you are making it sound.”

In the end, the jurors refused to believe Ward’s story.

Ward is expected to be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on April 11.

Daily Record

Stevenage BNP candidate jailed for Tottenham Court Road bomb threat

By virginiagolden

March 14, 2018

Uncategorized

A FAILED HGV driver who brought central London to a standstill by threatening to blow up an office block over a £1,000 dispute was jailed for six years this afternoon (Tuesday).

Michael Green of Archer Road, Stevenage stormed the offices of Advantage HGV in Tottenham Court Road and took four hostages after claiming he was carrying enough explosives to destroy the building.

Green said he was going to “liquidise some assets” before ordering workers to throw computers and paperwork out of windows into the busy street below. He then demanded armed police and snipers attend, saying he wanted to end his life, a jury at Blackfriars Crown Court heard.

Green, who stood as a BNP candidate for Stevenage at the last General Election, sparked the siege in a bid to get back £1,000 he had paid for a HGV training course before twice failing the exam.

Three tube stations were closed and blood supplies to a nearby hospital were disrupted in the chaos on April 27.

At one point Green shouted to general manager Garry Benardout: “This is a hostage situation I’ve got enough explosives to blow up the building. I’ve got nothing left to live for. I want you to get armed police here now.”

He told office worker Ross Whiteman, who tried to attack him with a fire extinguisher, he had five kilograms of plastic explosives strapped to his chest and wired to go off.

Green was also heard to say he wanted all 12 employees to stay in the building, including a pregnant woman, for “collateral damage”. He later allowed eight workers to leave.

Thousands of terrified office workers, together with many shoppers and tourists in the area, were evacuated during the 45 minute stand-off, with many seen leaving with their hands in the air.

Police including marksmen, explosive experts and negotiators were dispatched to the scene shortly after midday. Snipers and balaclava-clad members of Scotland Yard’s firearms unit were also present.

Green pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment, communicating false information with intent, and criminal damage.

Jailing him for a total of six years Judge Henry Blacksell QC ordered he serve an extended period of three years on licence after his release for what he described as a “terrifying” incident which had been prepared in a “chilling” way.

He said: “What you did, and what you set about doing, and what you set about planning was a terrible thing and it demonstrates in my judgement a disturbing aspect of your behaviour.

“This was a totally unjustified demonstration. There was not a jot of justification for this stand.”

Green who was arrested naked from the waist down at the scene, had been carrying a blow torch, a weed killer container containing methylated spirits and two jerry cans containing petrol. A ‘bomb’ was later discovered to be made of plasticine and headphones.

Defence counsel David Bentley said: “In his mind, however misguided, his motivation was to cause economic harm to this company.

“He wishes to apologise, particularly to those people caught up in the room with him.”

The Comet

From 2012

BNP member jailed for string of racist attacks.

By virginiagolden

March 14, 2018

Uncategorized

A BRITISH National Party member has been jailed for five years for a string of racist attacks on Asian families in a year-long terror campaign.

Former Territorial Army soldier Terry Collins, 27, who was a sheet metal worker for Hotchkiss Ductwork, on Station Road Industrial Estate, Hailsham, hurled fireworks through letterboxes of his victims’ homes and smashed their windows with stones.

He also used a hammer to smash their car windows and a Stanley knife to slash their tyres, causing more than 4,000 worth of damage and forcing one family to flee their home.

Collins, who targeted Asian families living near him in Seaside, repeatedly sent take-always to his victims’ homes to ‘wind them up.’

Police launched an operation the size of a murder inquiry and made more than 600 house-to-house inquiries in a bid to catch him.

Officers who were lying in wait outside the Royal Parade home of one of Collins’ targets eventually caught him red-handed as he threw a lump of concrete through the window.

Following his arrest in possession of a lock-knife, officers found fireworks and paint in Collins flat identical to those used in the attacks.

They also found bullets which he stole from the army and a BNP magazine and three medium-sized pebbles in his car.

Lewes Crown Court heard how he had told a colleague: “Vote for BNP. Blair is too soft.’

Prosecutor Stephen Shay told the court, ‘Between September, 2003, and November, 2004, three ethnic minority families in Eastbourne were subjected to a series of racially-motivated crimes.

‘These crimes mainly but not always involved criminal damage. From the outset the motive for the offences was extreme right wing political views that he held.

‘In the most serious incident, shortly after midnight on March 27, 2004, Ali Rostam heard shattering glass downstairs at his home in Eshton Road where he lives with his three children. He was upstairs in bed.

‘When he went to inspect he could smell burning coming from the hallway and was aware of his house filling with smoke.

‘The porch carpet was burning and a large brick with a firework attached was on the floor alongside the shattered glass.

‘Mr Rostam was able to put the fire out by stamping on the carpet. His family were understandable deeply distressed by this incident.

‘Afterwards they were re-housed and there were no further attacks on the property.’

The court heard how he also also attacked the homes and cars of newsagent Praful Patel in Seaside and Ajmul Owasil in Royal Parade.

Sheet metal worker Collins, of Eshton Road, pleaded guilty to arson and racially-aggravated harassment and criminal damage.

He also admitted possession of ammunition and a bladed article and asked for 11 further offences or racially-aggravated criminal damage to be taken into account.

He was questioned for five days and told police in interview he never intended to hurt anyone and only wanted to intimidate his victims.

He said he was driven to his victims’ homes by an accomplice he refused to name and was drunk when he committed the offences.

He said he attacked his victims’ property because he thought they were asylum seekers and immigrants.

The court heard he has a previous conviction for a drunken assault on one of his victims, Mr Patel.

Julian Dale, defending, told the court Collins joined the BNP two years ago after he and a friend were attacked by an gang of youths from an ethnic minority in Manchester.

He said, ‘That appears to have been the spur which put him in the sphere of the BNP. He was specifically targeted by one or two very forceful and extreme individuals.

‘He was subjected to a brain-washing process and was exposed to extreme far right propaganda and extremely far right documentaries.

‘Pressure was put on him to participate in these offences and even more extreme offences but he did not do so.

‘It was only once he was arrested that he had a chance to reflect and realise just how far he had slipped under the influence of certain individuals and how disgraceful he had behaved.

‘He has shown considerable remorse and has sought to make apologies through the officers in the case to the families he has distressed so much.

‘He has completely turned his back on both individuals and the organisations that led him to commit these crimes. He does not pose a continuing risk.”

Afterwards, Farida Owasil, 33, told how she came under attack at the home she shares with husband Ajmul, 43, daughter Salwa, aged six and son Ashraf, aged two.

The first attack came when a rock came through their living room window and they went outside the house to find their car had been vandalised.

After the first incident the couple’s home was targeted by Collins for repeated attacks.

Farida said, ‘We have no idea why he has picked us. We do not know him and can only presume that he saw us go in and out of our house.

‘We were just watching television when we heard the whole of the window pane smash. Our car was also attacked. Two tyres were slashed, the side mirror was broken and it was spray painted.

‘We were attacked about another six or seven times. He would always strike at around midnight.’

Farida shares the home with her brother-in-law Ahmed, 48, his wife Dawn, 44, and the couple’s two children. The four adults in the house run a nearby nursing home.

She said, ‘By the end of this we were not comfortable living in the house. It really put us in fear not knowing what was going to happen next.

‘The attacks were getting worse and worse. He is a dangerous man.

‘You feel you are being targeted because of the colour of your skin. We have lived in Eastbourne for 15 years and never had a problem with racism before.’

Mr Patel, 55, and wife Minaxi, 50, also came under attack at their shop and four-bedroom home.

Fireworks were hurled through the home they share with son Bhavik, 9, and daughters Bhumika, 24, Hena, 22, and Herkia, 20.

Their car and house windows were also smashed and tyres.

Mrs Patel said, ‘He made my family’s lives hell. Every night my son wakes up and comes into my room because he fears this man is going to kill us.

‘I fear it as well because the police told us he had live ammunition. I think his intention was to kill us. He could have blown us up.

‘If he comes out is he going to do the same? He is a danger to the public. I still have nightmares because I hear a noise and I think he is back again. It gave us peace of mind when he was arrested. My neighbours didn’t like what was happening. They were really annoyed because we are nice people.’

Bhavik said, ‘It upset me because all my stuff is by the window and I was cold with the window broken. Nobody else is going to bang the window now. Sometimes I can’t sleep at night because of the noise. I often sleep downstairs.’

Eastbourne Herald

From 2005.

‘Neo-Nazi’ plotted terrorist attacks from Banff home

By virginiagolden

March 14, 2018

Uncategorized

Connor Ward, 25, gathered bomb components and kept list of Scottish mosques.

An ‘exemplary Neo-Nazi’ gathered components to make bombs and kept a list of Scottish mosque addresses.

Connor Ward, 25, acquired hundreds of ball bearings which could be used in pipe bombs and rocket tubes which could be used to fire projectiles.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard he also had a stun gun, hundreds of knuckle dusters, knives and metal bars.

He was found guilty on Wednesday after a five-week trial of breaching the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Terrorism Act 2006.

Detectives who searched Ward’s home in Banff, Aberdeenshire, found that he had acquired a mobile phone signal jamming device and a machine for picking up hidden bugs.

They also discovered that Ward had downloaded tens of thousands of documents on firearms and survival techniques. The files also contained extreme right-wing propaganda and military tactics.

Detectives also found a Google Maps-style file containing the postal addresses of five Islamic places of worship in the Aberdeen area on Ward’s computer.

They also found that Ward, who told jurors that he thought Hitler had made mistakes, had started to compose a book called “Combat 18 British Mosque Address Book”.

The court heard that Combat 18 is the name of an extreme British right-wing paramilitary group.

Prosecution lawyer Richard Goddard told the court that Ward had been previously jailed for three years at the High Court in Edinburgh on another explosives charge.

Mr Goddard also told the court that Ward was given a 22-month jail sentence in April 2015 for possessing a stun gun.

He was also convicted in July 2016 of having an “improvised” knife whilst serving that prison sentence and given another 18 months.

In August 2016, the court heard how Ward was sentenced to another four months in custody for assaulting somebody whilst in custody.

On Wednesday, he was convicted of two charges of preparing terror attacks.

Ward is expected to be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow in April.

Police Scotland reaction

Detective Chief Superintendent Gerry Mclean, of Police Scotland’s Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit, said: “Following Ward’s arrest a vast amount of material was seized by officers who invested a significant amount of time into quantifying the scale of Ward’s interest in terrorism.

“Although he operated alone, the weapons, manuals and downloads he possessed had the potential to cause serious harm.

“While we may never know the full extent of Ward’s intentions thanks to the early intervention of police, we do know that we cannot underestimate the dangerous nature of any behaviour or activity linked to terrorism.

“These acts are very rare, not least in the North East of Scotland, and while concerted action takes place every day alongside our partners to protect the public it is crucial that communities remain vigilant.”

STV

Banff man Connor Ward convicted of planning terrorism attacks

By virginiagolden

March 14, 2018

Uncategorized

A 25-year-old man from Banff has been convicted of planning terrorism attacks.

Connor Ward had denied breaching the Terrorism Act, and faced trial at the High Court in Edinburgh charged with conduct which showed his intention to commit acts of terrorism.

The jury heard he acquired components for potential bombs and kept a list of Scottish mosque addresses.

Sentence was deferred after the verdict following a five-week trial.

Ward, a former psychiatric patient, claimed he was suffering from mental illness at the time he downloaded the documents.

He was previously jailed for three years in 2012 after admitting explosives charges in connection with an incident which saw people evacuated from their homes.

‘Suffer your demise’

Judge Lord Burns adjourned sentence on Ward to the High Court in Glasgow on 11 April to obtain reports on his character.

Ward acquired hundreds of ball bearings which could be used in pipe bombs and rocket tubes which could be used to fire projectiles.

Police discovered that Ward had downloaded tens of thousands of documents from the internet on firearms and survival techniques.

The files also contained extreme right wing propaganda and military tactics.

The court heard Ward had written a dedication in a book which read: “This book is dedicated to all that follow Mohammed and the Islamic faith.

‘Serious harm’

Defence advocate Drew McKenzie told the court that he would reserve his mitigation until the sentencing hearing.

After the case, Det Ch Supt Gerry Mclean, of Police Scotland’s organised crime and counter terrorism unit, said: “Following Ward’s arrest, a vast amount of material was seized by officers who invested a significant amount of time into quantifying the scale of Ward’s interest in terrorism.

“Although he operated alone, the weapons, manuals and downloads he possessed had the potential to cause serious harm.

“While we may never know the full extent of Ward’s intentions, thanks to the early intervention of police we do know that we cannot underestimate the dangerous nature of any behaviour or activity linked to terrorism.”

BBC News

Paul Moore guilty of Leicester hate crime car attack

By virginiagolden

March 2, 2018

Uncategorized

Paul Moore entered no defence to the allegations

A man has been convicted of the attempted murder of a Somali woman after knocking her over in his car and then going back to run her over as she lay helpless on the ground.

Mother-of-nine Zaynab Hussein suffered life-changing injuries in the attack in Leicester last September.

Her life was saved after extensive specialist surgery but she remains confined to a bed.

Paul Moore, 21, from Leicester, was found guilty at Nottingham Crown Court.

Jurors also convicted him of the attempted grievous bodily harm of a 12-year-old Somali girl, for trying to drive into her minutes after the first attack.

Moore – who has previous convictions and was on bail for a charge of causing grievous bodily harm when he was arrested for the attack – looked straight ahead and showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out.

In the hours leading up to the attack, which happened five days after the Parsons Green attack in London, Moore had been drinking heavily with friends.

Mrs Hussein was returning home after dropping off her two youngest children at school when she was knocked down.

She was thrown by the force of the impact into the wall of a house in the Beaumont Leys area of Leicester.

In two witness statements provided from her hospital bed, she said she could feel blood on her forehead and had lost sensation in her limbs, believing them to be broken.

She tried to reach her mobile phone to call family and was crying for help. Two drivers stopped to ask if she needed help, but then drove on.

Mrs Hussein was left with a fractured pelvis, spine and multiple other injuries including severe breaks to her limbs.

Two young men who had been in the car told police that Moore, who is unemployed, had told them he wanted to run someone over. After he first hit Mrs Hussein, sending her flying, the pair jumped out of the still-moving car.

Moore performed a U-turn to return to the scene. He drove past Mrs Hussein and seeing her on the ground, he turned the car around, mounted the pavement and drove over her with all four wheels.

He then drove off again and spotted a 12-year-old Somali girl, identified by him as a Muslim because of her headscarf, walking to school with her cousin. Moore drove at her, apparently mounting the pavement again, but this time he clipped her side, sending her bag flying. The girl was unharmed but shaken.

During the trial, the jury heard that after the attack Moore turned up severely drunk at the home of his half-brother, Lewis Welsh, and told him in offensive, racist terms, why he had attacked the woman.

I don’t think he knew what he was saying or doing. But he did tell me that he had ran over a ‘Paki’,” said Mr Welsh.

“He tried to put it down to the London 7/7 bombings. He said he was proud of himself. He was rambling. He was doing the country a favour.”

Mrs Hussein remains in pain and is still receiving medical treatment for her injuries – including returning to hospital for more surgery.

She and her husband are too scared to talk publicly about what happened but the wider Muslim community in the Beaumont Leys area remains in shock.

“Everyone has been talking about how this happened – and why,” said Zuleika, a community activist in Leicester.

She, like all the others the BBC spoke to, asked to remain anonymous because they are scared there could be another attack.

“We are just asking ourselves who is going to be next. We have found out about other parents who have been insulted because they are Muslim. Some of them are scared and afraid to raise their voice – for every woman in this community, we now have the same fear.”

Paul Moore pleaded denied attempted murder but gave the court no defence to the accusation that his crime was motivated by hate.

National statistics show that hate crime appears to have been rising over the last two years:

There were 80,393 offences in 2016-17 in England and Wales
That’s up from 62,518 in 2015-16
The rise was the largest increase since the Home Office began recording the figures in 2011-12

Part of the rise was down to better reporting but police were also sure there were spikes after major moments of tension.

The most significant of these were the EU Referendum in June 2016 and the terrorism attacks at Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena and London Bridge.

The Parsons Green London Underground attack came outside of the period for these statistics – but Moore’s attempted murder of Mrs Hussein occurred five days later.

Azhar Qayum of Mend, a campaign organisation tackling Islamophobia, said women were particularly vulnerable to attacks, alongside elderly men, because they tended to be more visible.

“What’s happened to Mrs Hussen is very serious – but it is not an isolated case,” he said.

“There has been a long line of very serious crimes like this. We have had the Islamophobic murder of Mohammed Saleem in Birmingham, we have the Islamophobic murder of Mushin Ahmed in Rotherham, an 81-year-old grandfather.

“And we have had the attack last year on worshippers at Finsbury Park. Although this is very serious, this level of seriousness is no isolated.”

BBC News

Thornaby Hitler-obsessive with stash of medieval weapons threatened to petrol bomb mosques

By virginiagolden

February 9, 2018

Uncategorized

A NAZI-sympathiser who threatened to petrol bomb mosques after the Manchester Arena attack and who had an array of medieval weapons at his home has been jailed for eight years.

Hitler-obsessive Liam Seabrook, 31, told his probation officer he planned to kill Muslims in a series of text messages four days after 22 people were murdered at the Ariana Grande concert.

The judge at Teesside Crown Court branded him “dangerous” and imposed an extended sentence.

When police went to his home in Thornaby, Teesside, they found petrol in washing up liquid bottles and crude home-made wooden weapons with screws and razor blades sticking out of them.

One was likened by Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, to a fasces – a weapon carried by Roman magistrates made from sticks with blades attached.

He said the weapons were adapted to cause “significant injuries” and were “medieval style weaponry”.

When police went to Liam Seabrook’s home crude home-made wooden weapons with screws and razor blades sticking out of them

Some were located close to his front door, the court heard.

When cable ties were found at Seabrook’s flat, he explained he had them “in case he needed to kidnap somebody”, Mr Abrahams said.

The chilling texts were sent in response to a routine inquiry from his probation officer.

He told her: “After Monday (the day of the Manchester bombing), Muslims and mosques need to be petrol bombed.”

She asked if he intended to carry out the threat, and Seabrook replied: “If something happens, something happens. By that time it would be (too late) to be stopped, like the Muslim attack on Manchester.”

Bizarrely, he then told her he had passed a forklift drivers’ course.

Mr Abrahams said Seabrook sent racist texts and expressed views about killing Muslims.

Psychiatrists found later he was fascinated by the Third Reich and Hitler in particular.

He had a previous conviction for arson, writing racist graffiti and leaving a note in a library calling for immigrants to be banned from using it.

Alex Bousfield, defending, said there was no suggestion Seabrook had ever taken his weapons out of his flat and that they were more like “bizarre ornaments”.

Seabrook was isolated and stockpiled goods so he would not have to leave his home, the court heard.

Mr Bousfield said: “He has really seen the outside world through media reports and he has picked and chosen those he has taken on board.

“He has become fearful of almost anyone except white males, really.”

Seabrook, who has been diagnosed with a mixed personality disorder, admitted making threats to kill, malicious communication, making threats to destroy property and having articles with intent to destroy property.

He was sentenced via a videolink from prison.

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton sentenced Seabrook to eight years custody with an extended two year licence period.

After deeming him dangerous, the judge said: “The weapons were very basic, nevertheless of a very violent type which could have resulted in extreme injury, if not death, if put to use.”

He made an order banning Seabrook from going within 200 metres of a mosque when he is released and said Seabrook had a long history of espousing right wing ideology.

Sharon Elves, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Liam Seabrook made a clear threat to burn down mosques and attack Muslims in what he believed was ‘retaliation’ for terrorist attacks that had occurred within the UK in previous months.

“From the cache of homemade weapons found at his home, including clubs covered with razor blades and bottles of carefully mixed accelerant for starting fires, it was also clear that he possessed the means to carry out his threat.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely with Cleveland Police to build a robust case against Liam Seabrook, leaving him with little option but to plead guilty to these very serious offences.”

Detective Constable Gerri Harris, from Stockton Operational Crime Team, said: “The sentence today sends a clear warning that if you make threats to harm people and create dangerous weapons in order to do so, there will be serious consequences.

“Liam Seabrook is clearly a dangerous man and the fact that he will remain in prison means that the public are protected from him for some time.”

Northern Echo

Ethan Stables faces life in prison after being found GUILTY of planning to commit a terror attack

By virginiagolden

February 5, 2018

Uncategorized

The 20-year-old has been convicted after a two-week trial

BARROW terrorist Ethan Stables has been found guilty of preparing to commit acts of terrorism.

Ethan Stables, 20, planned to kill people attending a gay pride event at the New Empire pub in Barrow, Cumbria.

Armed police stopped him on the way to the pub following a tip-off from a member of a far-right Facebook group where he had posted a message saying he was “going to war”.

Stables had written that he planned to “slaughter every single one of the gay bastards”.

He was unarmed when he was arrested on June 23 but police found an axe and a machete at his home, Leeds Crown Court has heard over the last two weeks.

The jury was shown a video of a burning rainbow flag and Stables saying “gays look nicer on fire”.

Jonathan Sandiford, prosecuting, said Stables had previously espoused homophobic, racist and Nazi views online, and the defendant was pictured with a Swastika flag hanging on his bedroom wall.

Stables said in his defence that did not intend to carry out the attack and he was simply venting his anger online.

The defendant, who has told the court he is bisexual and has autism spectrum condition, denies preparing an act of terrorism, making threats to kill and possessing explosive.

He denied he was doing a “recce” of the venue when he was arrested and said he was heading out to sit outside the jobcentre to use the free public wifi.

Stables claimed he was a liberal and adopted a right-wing persona to fit in with people he chatted to online.

Here’s a summary of the prosecution’s case against 20-year-old Ethan Stables:

Stables was arrested on Michaelson Road – just yards away from the New Empire pub where he had told friends on Facebook he planned to “slaughter every single one” of the people at a LGBT event.

The landlord’s wife, Lorraine Neale, described how she was terrified for her customers and feared Stables would come inside unnoticed.

Police searched Stables’ flat at Egerton Court and found match head composition and weapons including a machete and an axe inside the flat as well as a swastika flag and armband.

Government explosives expert Sharon Broome has said the material found in the flat could have been used to make a credible bomb.

During his first police interview Stables made “no comment” to all questions. He told the jury this was because he was advised to do so by his solicitor from Poole Townsend and “trusted them”.

In a later interview Stables vowed to “tell the truth” and told counter terrorism officers he was right wing and admired Nazis including Adolf Hitler.

When he took to the stand, Stables shocked the court by announcing he was bisexual, and claimed he had been scared to declare his sexuality because of his grandparents’ right wing views.

Stables told the jury he was “ashamed” and “sorry” for his racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic comments and had never intended to hurt anyone.

Stables said his Asperger Syndrome and other mental health issues explained his constant attempts to “fit in” and impress his far right friends.

Phillip Loveless, the gay godfather of Ethan Stables, said he had “always expected” something to happen but had no reason to believe his godson was homophobic.

Stables’ mother, Elaine Asbury, recalled her son’s difficult childhood and expulsion from school because of his behavioural problems and Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

Mrs Asbury kicked her son out of the family home after he threatened to chop her head off and burn the house down. Stables had few friends and claimed he was a victim of bullying.

Character witnesses Anne Diss and Stuart Barclay from Cowran Estates farm described Stables as a pleasant and polite young man who went out of his way to make friends.

Two psychiatrists both agreed Stables’ autistic spectrum disorder would not have prevented him from knowing his threats would be taken seriously.

One expert disputed Stables’ claim he was embarrassed of his sexuality and said he had been eager to talk about his bisexual experiences.

Defence psychiatrist Dr Matthew Appleyard said Stables was suffering from clinical depression – something which can exacerbate the features of an autistic spectrum disorder.

Since being in custody Stables has attempted to take an overdose and is being assessed to consider if he should be moved to a secure mental health unit.

North West Evening Mail

Finsbury Park terror attacker Darren Osborne jailed for life after driving van into Muslims near mosque

By virginiagolden

February 2, 2018

Uncategorized

Osborne tells the court ‘God bless you all, thank you’ after beng sentenced to minimum term of 43 years

Darren Osborne was found guilty of murder and attempted murder, at Woolwich Crown Court

Darren Osborne has been jailed for life – with a minimum term of 43 years – for carrying out the Finsbury Park terror attack.

Justice Cheema-Grubb said she had not given Osborne a rare full-life term because he did not achieve his original aim to kill multiple victims at a pro-Palestinian march.

“This was a terror attack,” the judge said, adding that the Metropolitan Police’s security arrangements around the Al-Quds Day rally had “saved many lives”.

“You were rapidly radicalised…by material put on the internet by those determined to spread hatred of Muslims.”

Sentencing Osborne to two concurrent life sentences with a minimum term of 43 years, minus the 224 days already served in custody, she said his lengthy criminal record betrayed a “belligerent and violent character”.

Osborne showed no emotion while being sentenced, but as he was led away told the court: “God bless you all, thank you.”

A jury had found the 48-year-old guilty of murder and attempted murder at the end of a nine-day trial, dismissing what the judge called a “pathetic last-ditch attempt to deceive them” by claiming a man called Dave was behind the wheel.

Woolwich Crown Court had heard how Makram Ali, a 51-year-old grandfather, had collapsed just two minutes before the atrocity shortly after midnight on 19 June.

A crowd of Muslim worshippers, several of them wearing traditional clothing, gathered around him to help and became an unwitting target for Osborne as he looped around Finsbury Park in search of a mosque.

Woolwich Crown Court heard that Osborne has a criminal history spanning 30 years, which could not previously be disclosed because it could prejudice the jury.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC said he had appeared in court for 33 times for 102 offences dating back to when he was just 15 years old.

He has served multiple prison sentences for crimes including assault and has also been convicted of drug possession, burglary, theft, fraud, vehicle crime, public order offences

Mr Rees said Osborne had eight years where he was “relatively trouble free” around the birth of his first child, but was later convicted for shoplifting and theft in South Wales.

Lisa Wilding QC, Osborne’s barrister, had urged the judge not to use a whole-life term warranted by his motivations.

“Although this case has been properly characterised as an act of terror, it’s arguably not the most grave of its type,” she told the court.

Ms Wilding highlighted the fact that Osborne was a functioning alcoholic with a troubled past, saying the previous convictions had no racial element and he ”became radicalised in a short period of time“.

Mr Ali’s relatives were in court for the sentencing hearing, where his wife, six children and two grandchildren told how they were unable to fully grieve until the end of the gruelling trial.

His eldest daughter, Ruzina Akhtar, said she had been “struggling not to fall apart” since the attack.

In a statement, she described how the family faced an agonising wait for Mr Ali’s death to be confirmed.

“In our hearts we knew it was him involved and that he was gone,” Ms Akhtar said. “My heart was shattered when I saw my father’s body in the morgue.”

She told how the family live near the scene of the attack and are traumatised from passing it on a daily basis, while her mother fears leaving the house or sleeping alone.

“My mum is scared of going out by herself and being attacked because she is visibly a Muslim and wears a headscarf,” she added.

Ms Akhtar paid tribute to her father as a “family man”, saying he spent his final moments before leaving the house on the night of his death with his wife and children, who are as young as 13.

He was beloved by her five-year-old son, who “is always asking where his granddad is and why he can’t go to the park with him every day” like they used to.

Ms Akhtar said her father was the most “sincere and warm person” she knew, who lived his life without enemies, adding: “My father will never be forgotten, he will always stay in our hearts, his laughter will echo from the walls in our home and his smile will be reflected in our eyes.”

Statements from the survivors of the attack told how they suffer from physical injuries as well as nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia and other effects of trauma have had a terrible impact on their personal lives and work.

They described chased Osborne down after he crashed the van and stumbled out of the driver’s seat, telling how he smiled and said: “I’ve done my job, you can kill me now.”

A note found in the vehicle – scribbled down in a pub the night before – showed Osborne raging against Muslims, grooming gangs, Jeremy Corbyn, Sadiq Khan and Lily Allen.

He denied charges of murder and attempted murder but submitted no statement in his defence until Friday – after hearing five days of evidence proving his guilt.

Police believe Osborne was radicalised in under a month, sparking calls for internet companies and the security services to combat extremist material even if it does not violate terror laws.
The Independent

Finsbury Park attacker Darren Osborne jailed for minimum of 43 years

By virginiagolden

February 2, 2018

Uncategorized

Darren Osborne was found guilty of murder and attempted murder, at Woolwich Crown Court

A man who drove a van into a crowd of Muslims near a north London mosque has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 43 years behind bars.

Darren Osborne, 48, was found guilty of murdering Makram Ali, 51, after deliberately ploughing into a crowd of people in Finsbury Park in June.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Osborne, from Cardiff, had planned “a suicide mission” and expected to be shot dead.

“This was a terrorist attack – you intended to kill,” the judge told him.

Osborne, who had been found guilty of murder and attempted murder, said “God bless you all, thank you”, as he was led away from court.

‘Malevolent hatred’

The father-of-four mowed down worshippers in Finsbury Park shortly after 12.15am on 19 June last year, killing Mr Ali and injuring nine others.

The jury took an hour to return the verdict at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday after a nine-day trial.

Justice Cheema-Grubb told Osborne the jury in his trial had seen though his “pathetic last-ditch attempt to deceive them”.

She said he was “rapidly radicalised over the internet by those determined to spread hatred of Muslims”.

“Your use of Twitter exposed you to racists and anti-Islamic ideology,” she added.

“In short, you allowed your mind to be poisoned by those who claimed to be leaders.”

Before sentencing, the court heard a statement from Razina Akhtar, the daughter of Mr Ali, who said she had suffered “recurring nightmares” since the death of her father.

“The incident was near to our house and I walk past it most days. It keeps me awake at night thinking about the attack.”

She said her mother, Mr Ali’s widow, was now scared to go outside by herself for fear of being attacked.

“My father was the most sincere and warmest person I know. He was full of jokes and laughter, and full of love for his family and grandchildren.

“His life was taken in a cruel way by a narrow-minded, heartless being,” the statement added.

Other witness suffered feelings of anxiety, flashbacks, fear of going out and loss of confidence, prosecutors said.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb also heard a list of Osborne’s previous convictions – including a string of violent offences – spanning more than 30 years.

Osborne had appeared before the courts on 33 occasions for 102 offences, she was told.

The judge said Osborne’s previous convictions showed he was a “belligerent and violent character”.

She said Mr Ali died immediately after being struck by the van. He was found with tyre marks on his torso, she added.

‘Obsessed’ with Muslims

The trial heard the victims had been outside the Muslim Welfare House, in Finsbury Park, when the area had been busy with worshippers attending Ramadan prayers.

Mr Ali had collapsed at the roadside in the minutes before the attack.

Police later found a letter in the van written by Osborne, referring to Muslim people as “rapists” and “feral”.

He also wrote that Muslim men were “preying on our children”.

Osborne, the trial heard, had became “obsessed” with Muslims in the weeks leading up to the attack, having watched the BBC drama Three Girls, about the Rochdale grooming scandal.

BBC News