Boy, 17, had intended to set fire to Islamic centre in Greenock, Inverclyde, after befriending imam

A teenager who listed Hitler, Mussolini and the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik as his inspirations and who planned a terrorist attack on a mosque has been sentenced to 10 years in custody.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, had intended to set fire to an Islamic centre in Greenock, Inverclyde, after befriending the imam and mapping out the building’s interior on his phone.

The teenager was arrested at the door of the centre in January this year. He was carrying a military-style rucksack that contained a German-manufactured Glock-type air pistol, ammunition, ball bearings, gas cartridges and aerosol cans, according to prosecutors.

He was sentenced at the high court in Glasgow on Thursday after pleading guilty to two terrorism charges, with a further eight years of supervision on licence upon release.

In his sentencing statement, Lord Arthurson said: “What you had in mind was what can properly be characterised as a quite diabolical atrocity involving extreme violence and multiple deaths. You even requested that your attack be livestreamed. Your conduct was only stopped by your arrest, when you were quite literally at the very door of the centre.”

Prosecutors said the teenager, who became radicalised online, began plotting the attack in December 2024 and joined the mosque’s WhatsApp group saying he was “looking for guidance”, later winning the trust of the imam during several visits.

Meanwhile he was boasting of his plans to set the centre on fire on the social medial platform Telegram and later filmed himself wandering the corridors, including footage showing him superimposing a hand carrying a semi-automatic pistol.

Sineidin Corrins, deputy procurator fiscal for specialist casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “This heinous plan to attack those within his own local community was prepared and driven by racial and religiously motivated hatred, and showed that he not only held neo-Nazi beliefs but was about to act on them to cause pain and suffering”.

The Guardian

The court heard how the boy – who suffers from autism – had become “radicalised” since the age of 13 by social media channels such as TikTok. He believed that white people were in a “war” against other races.

A teenager wanted to carry out a mass murder of Muslims at a mosque, a court has heard.

The 17-year-old boy idolised right-wing killers such as Anders Brevik who slaughtered 77 people in Norway in 2011. The boy spoke online about how white people were at “war” and that he would “die for my land.”

Police intelligence led to officers finding the boy who was armed with weapons outside the Inverclyde Muslim Centre. This included an airgun which he claimed would keep worshippers inside once he had set the building on fire.

The boy was able to plan his attack after he hoodwinked the centre’s Imam into believing that he wanted to become a Muslim. He was trusted at times to be left alone in the building which allowed him to make sketches and videos of the layout.

The boy also went as far as to join in with prayers in a bid to convince others of his lies. The boy appeared today in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow.

He pleaded guilty to a charge under the Terrorism Act and possession of documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. The crimes spanned between December 15 2024 and January 23 2025.

The court heard how the boy – who suffers from autism – had become “radicalised” since the age of 13 by social media channels such as TikTok. He believed that white people were in a “war” against other races such as Jews and he “developed sympathies” with the Nazi party.

The boy created his own “manifesto” on his mobile phone in which he said he would “die for my land.” He listed a number of “inspirations” which included Brevik, Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Irish fascist leader Eion O’Duffy.

The boy also created a list of dislikes which included Keir Starmer, the prophet Mohammed and Jihadi John. The boy initially had plans to carry out a terrorist attack at his school in Inverclyde.

He recorded himself walking through the school in which he stated he planned to “liquidate” one of the offices. The boy also claimed that he would plant bombs under the tables of the school canteen.

He said: “That’ll be funny, watch some reactions, that’ll be hilarious.”

The boy planned to attack the Inverclyde Muslim Centre in December 2024. Prosecutor Greg Farrell said: “This involved the use of aerosols and lighters to set fire to the premises.”

The boy spoke to the centre’s Imam online and was later provided with reading materials. Mr Farrell added: “The boy went as far as to take part in prayer with the congregation of the Islamic Centre.

“He was trusted to be left alone in the centre and he took several videos wandering the corridors of the building. In one video, he enters a room and his own hand enters the shot, shaped like a gun.”

The boy then began searching images of the centre online as well as weapons and combat clothing. He went on to speak to an acquaintance on chatting application Telegram.

Mr Farrell said: “He told the user he would use a deodorant can and a lighter to start a fire and he had a BB gun that people would believe was a real firearm. He also said he would use it to prevent them leaving the building.”

The boy also asked the acquaintance to live stream the burning down of the mosque which would be shared with his manifesto. He meantime tried to get a rifle licence but was unable to as his local club was closed at the time.

The boy prepared a “final” manifesto in which he stated he would attack “tomorrow” when “the mosque will be at its fullest.” On the morning of the planned attack, the boy left his home with a rucksack which concerned his mother.

He messaged friends, stating: “Today, I choose what my life was and will be.”

The boy appeared at the Islamic Centre but was unable to enter as the door was locked. Earlier that morning, the police had received intelligence regarding the boy and waited on him at the Islamic Centre.

He was found by officers to be dressed in black clothing and he carried a camouflage military rucksack. When asked what was in the bag, the boy replied: “Guns, I’ll tell you what’s in the bag so you don’t get hurt. I don’t want to hurt you.”

A German manufactured air pistol – capable of firing BBs – was recovered as well as a magazine which was suitable for the gun. He was also snared with ball bearings, gas cartridges, four cans of aerosol spray and his mobile phone.

The boy was further found to have notepads which contained sketches and right wing symbols such as swastikas. A search of his home recovered a copy of Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, a copy of the Quran, knives, airsoft weapons and ingredients for explosive substances.

A book, named ‘The Anarchist Cookbook’ was also found which was an instruction manual on how to produce weapons and explosives.

Tony Lenehan KC, defending, told the court: “He was a 16-year-old isolated vulnerable young man who had a wholesale world view of what was on the internet rather than personal experience.”

Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month by Judge Lord Arthurson. The boy will remain remanded in a secure unit meantime.

Glasgow Live

Three members of the same family have today (June 26) been found guilty of creating, performing and distributing neo-Nazi music which encouraged terrorism and incited racial hatred.

Robert Talland, 56, his son Stephen, 36, and daughter Rosie, 34, all from Essex, were found guilty of multiple charges of stirring up racial hatred following a nine-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court. Robert was also found guilty of two offences of encouraging terrorism.

Robert Talland was a leader of the ‘Blood & Honour’ neo-Nazi movement, which organised music festivals and sold merchandise for far right and extreme right wing rock bands. He was also a producer for the music label ‘Rampage Productions’ which distributed CDs for white power music bands. Rosie and Stephen played for the band ‘Embers of an Empire’ which Robert managed.

All three were arrested on October 1, 2020, after a year-long investigation by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

During the trial, the court heard that Robert Talland had organised a gig at the Corpus Christi Club in Leeds on September 21, 2019, at which ‘Embers of an Empire’ performed songs which called for racist violence. CCTV footage showed people at the gig making Nazi salutes.

Officers searching Robert Talland’s home found hundreds of CDs from white power bands which he was distributing under his record label, as well as Blood & Honour merchandise and banners covered in neo-Nazi imagery. When the music on the CDs was reviewed, it was found to contain lyrics which encouraged acts of extreme right wing terrorism.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, the Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “Robert, Stephen and Rosie Talland were part of a network of hatred which had encouraged violence and extreme right wing terrorism across Europe for decades.

“Robert Talland dismissed the group as an ‘old man’s drinking club’, but through the gigs and events they organised, they promoted music which glorified acts of murder to audiences which included young children. In doing so, they encouraged attitudes of hatred, intolerance and violence which have no place in our society.

“The verdicts today come after a lengthy and detailed investigation into the Talland family and their activities. Counter Terrorism Policing is committed to targeting the people who encourage racist violence by bringing them to justice.

“We need the public’s help to do our work. If you hear or see anything that doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and report it in confidence at gov.uk/ACT.”

CTU

Alfie Coleman denies preparing acts of terrorism.

A neo-Nazi teenager was snared by police and MI5 as he tried to buy a Makarov pistol for a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

Alfie Coleman was detained by armed police in a Morrisons car park moments after he paid £3,500 in exchange for what he thought was a gun and ammunition, the Old Bailey was told.

It was the culmination of a “highly sophisticated operation” in which an undercover officer from MI5 allegedly agreed to sell Coleman weaponry, jurors were told.

Former Tesco worker Coleman had allegedly engaged in online chat with several undercover officers over months as he tried to buy the gun on various encrypted messaging platforms.

Prosecutor Nicholas De La Poer KC said an arrangement was made with the undercover officer for the supply of a Makarov pistol, five magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition.

Coleman was allegedly told they would be in a Land Rover Discovery parked in the Morrisons car park in Stratford, east London. He was aged 19 at the time.

On the morning of September 29 2023, the defendant left £3,500 in cash in the front passenger seat footwell and collected the bag of items from the boot.

But before he had gone 30 yards, he was confronted by armed counter-terrorism police and arrested, the court was told.

Inside the bag he was carrying was what appeared to be a handgun and around 200 rounds of ammunition, jurors heard.

Mr De La Poer said members of the public going about their business shopping at Morrisons had witnessed the “shocking scene” as Coleman was detained by three counter-terrorism officers pointing stun guns.

He said: “There was much shouting at the young man. More men appeared and took hold of the young man who ended up on the ground.”

While planning a gun attack, the defendant had gathered terrorist information, carried out online research, and wrote a “manifesto”, jurors were told.

Mr De La Poer told jurors: “The prosecution’s case is that Mr Coleman believed in an extreme right-wing ideology which included idolising the likes of Thomas Mair, the man who murdered the MP, Jo Cox.”

He believed in the “the supremacy of white people and neo-Nazism” and collected a number of documents to help with his attack planning, the prosecutor said.

He went on: “The prosecution’s case is that Mr Coleman engaged in conversation on encrypted social media platforms such as Wire and Telegram with people whom he thought were sympathetic to his views.

“And it was through such people that Mr Coleman sought to buy firearms. A mission which led him to the Morrison’s carpark in Stratford on the morning of September 29 2023.”

The court heard how the defendant had emailed the far-right white supremacist organisation Patriotic Alternative in July 2021 saying he “would like to start participating in activism”.

In June 2022, the defendant allegedly wrote a plan for a potential terrorist attack identifying his initial target as the “Mayor of London house” and included the postcode of the Lord Mayor of London.

The note also made reference to what appeared to be a plan to put explosive in a cash machine and listed weapons including knives and crossbows, the court was told.

In the event, the plans were abandoned as his thinking developed, jurors heard.

Jurors were told of a file entitled “you can’t see me” containing another attack plan, this time to hijack a plane.

Mr De La Poer said that in the “cold light of day” this plan appeared to be “far-fetched and childish”.

He went on: “The prosecution’s case is that however he presented to the outside world when at work, Mr Coleman was seething with hatred on the inside. As a result he created a list.”

In September 2022, the defendant allegedly compiled a list of vehicle number plates on his phone, with one belonging to a colleague at Tesco labelled “race traitor”.

Jurors heard how he had singled out the white female co-worker who was married to a man of mixed Indian and Seychellois heritage.

At the time, the defendant’s reading included an extreme right-wing text which included a scene entitled “The Day of the Rope” in which “white race traitors” were hanged on a single day.

In the summer of 2023, the defendant allegedly turned his attention to an attack in France and attempted to arrange the purchase of military grade weaponry there.

In a “Diary” document, he allegedly explained he had picked France because it was close to “all out race war” and it was “where I feel most useful and where I can create the biggest impact”.

In the event, Coleman never travelled to France due to practical difficulties, jurors were told.

Two days before he was due to pick up the Makarov and ammunition in Stratford, Coleman allegedly told an online contact: “Just something has gotta be done, how long can we sit here and talk over the internet.”

The same day, Coleman ordered a Gerber Strong Arm knife with a 4.8 inch blade online, the court was told.

Jurors were told that Coleman accepted he had a significant quantity of extreme right-wing material and had pleaded guilty to possessing 10 documents which contain information likely to be useful to terrorists.

The defendant did not dispute writing a text bearing similarities to other “manifestos” written by convicted extreme right-wing terrorists nor that he engaged in chat on Telegram and Wire with people who proclaimed extreme right-wing views and idolised Hitler, jurors heard.

Coleman has also pleaded guilty to attempting to possess both a firearm and ammunition but denied he was preparing for a terrorist attack.

Mr De La Poer said the defendant would claim he did not agree with everything he read and was always changing what he thought.

The defendant had dismissed the manifesto and online chat as a “fantasy” and claimed he wanted a gun and ammunition because he thought that the breakdown of society was coming.

Coleman, now aged 21, of Great Notley in Essex, has denied preparing acts of terrorism and the trial continues.

Evening Standard

A Midlands man has been jailed for more than five years after he joined an online chat supporting plans for a terrorist attack in Leeds.

Claudiu Stefan Cristea, 47, was found guilty by a jury of possessing a terrorist document following a week-long trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Cristea was arrested in February 2024 as part of an operation by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

The investigation focussed on an extreme right wing online chat group called Einsatz14, in which individuals were suspected of planning a terrorist attack against a target in West Yorkshire.

Cristea shared racist and antisemitic views on the chat.

Three others from Einsatz14 , including Brogan Stewart of Tingley, who led the group and was calling for attacks on mosques, are to be sentenced next month.

When officers searched Cristea’s home in Queens Road, Leicester, they found a copy of “The Anarchist’s Cookbook” on a bookshelf. The book provides instructions on the manufacture of explosives, weapons and drugs.

He was later charged with one offence of collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

He was jailed for a total of five-and-a-half years.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “Cristea maintained that his interest in far right ideology was purely academic, but his involvement with the Einsatz14 chat group showed that was not the case.

“He shared racist and antisemitic views in that chat group with individuals who went on to plan an extreme right wing terrorist attack.

“Extremist material, whether it be online or in books, causes harm to people in the real world.

“If you come across material which you suspect may be terrorist or extremist, ACT Early and report it so we can stop the harm it spreads.”

YEP

Martyn Gilleard pleaded guilty to collection of material likely to be of use to a terrorist.

A neo-Nazi paedophile who was locked up 17 years ago after being caught with a stash of nail bombs is facing more jail time after admitting having a gunpowder manual.

White-supremacist Martyn Gilleard, 48, of Armley, Leeds, was jailed in 2008 for 12 years for terrorism offences and having indecent images, and was released in 2023.

On Friday, he appeared at the Old Bailey and pleaded guilty to a single count of collection of material likely to be of use to a terrorist.

The charge said that on or before May 28, the defendant, who also goes by the name Martyn Stone, collected information on the manufacture of explosive black powder, known as gunpowder.

The grey-haired and bearded defendant entered his plea by video-link from Leeds jail.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb set a sentencing date at Leeds Crown Court for August 22 and remanded Gilleard into custody.

The former forklift truck driver Gilleard was previously found guilty of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts and collecting information for terrorist purposes having admitted having indecent images.

Police found four nail bombs, bladed weapons, bullets, documents about terrorism and extreme right-wing literature when they searched his flat for indecent images of children in October 2007.

Officers uncovered significant volumes of extreme right-wing literature and propaganda from far-right group Combat 18, as well as ammunition, weapons and homemade bombs.

A further search by detectives and forensic teams from the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) in Leeds uncovered more explosive material, camouflage clothing, balaclavas, a bomb-making manual and outdoor survival guides.

Humberside Police had also discovered around 39,000 indecent images of children including film and photographs.

A search of his workplace found a high-visibility jacket which had been modified with a hand-drawn swastika and Combat 18 lettering, and colleagues told police that he had expressed racist views.

Detectives launched a manhunt when the father of one failed to return home after the original search of his flat.

He was found three days later 300 miles away in Dundee, Tayside.

Gilleard was a member of a number of far-right groups, including the National Front, the British People’s Party and the White Nationalist Party.

In police interviews, he admitted sympathising with white supremacists and accepted he was racist, but said he had become less racist in recent times.

He admitted 10 specimen counts of possessing indecent images of children, and also pleaded guilty to possessing 34 cartridges of ammunition without holding a firearms certificate.

In his trial, Gilleard claimed the nail bombs were not intended for serious violence and said he made them when he was bored after drinking “a couple of cans”.

But the prosecution said he intended to use the weapons and documents found in his flat in terrorist acts to further his political cause.

Evening Standard

A man has appeared in court after posting threatening messages with racist sentiments on social media.

Richard Britton, 31, from Wombourne in Staffordshire, pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday to two charges dating back to February and March 2023.

Britton displayed anti-Islamic, racist and anti-immigration sentiments and used threatening language on his social media account, police said. He also shared images of weapons online and encouraged others to do the same.

He will be sentenced on 25 July.

He was charged with one count of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred as well as one count of publishing threatening written material intended to stir up religious or sexual orientation hatred.

Officers said they arrested Britton during a pre-planned operation on 26 April 2023.

When they searched his address, they recovered weapons, fireworks and terrorism material that matched those in his social media posts.

Det Supt Annie Miller, said: “We work hard to stop terrorism. Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the West Midlands area.”

BBC News

A former policeman has been jailed for almost six years after counter-terrorism officers seized a haul of Nazi memorabilia and more than 100 weapons.

Andrew Campbell admitted possessing three illegal guns and a silencer that matched bullets found in searches at his home and a lock-up in Nottinghamshire.

He denied sending grossly offences messages about kidnapping and mutilating a woman he met through a different job.

Detectives say Campbell was a ‘dangerous extremist’, who changed his name after being sacked from the Nottinghamshire force in 2017.

Campbell was arrested by officers from Counter Terrorism East Midlands who searched his property at Nottingham Road in Toton in January 2024.

Det Insp Christopher Brett, who led the investigation, said they found a “treasure trove” of knives, knuckle-dusters, extendable batons, and lethal home-made guns.

DI Brett said they also seized boxes from a rented lock-up, containing weapons along with Swastikas and “disturbing” Nazi literature and memorabilia.

“We see the building blocks of someone who could well be a future risk to society”, he added.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Campbell had many more firearms that could be considered illegal.

The prosecution said he used a “loophole” for guns that can also fire paintballs, and only admitted charges over weapons where illegal ammunition had been recovered.

Officers recovered pointed home-made steel and resin bullets, and Campbell also owned moulds for making the ammo.

The court heard he was interested “not only in their power but in their capacity to injure”.

Videos were recovered showing Campbell testing modified firearms by shooting into boxes and buckets stuffed with towels, the court heard.

Campbell’s devices contained a photo of a gun alongside a message from him saying Pro-Palestine demonstrators “need some of this”.

In another message, he insulted Muslim people and wrote “knock knock, bang bang”.

He also sent messages about owning potentially deadly firearms, saying “the government would rather you got stabbed in a home invasion”.

Campbell first made headlines after being dismissed from Nottinghamshire Police in April 2017, when he was known as Graeme Thornhill.

A gross misconduct hearing found he used excessive and disproportionate force against an erratic driver who was taking his young son to hospital.

PC Thornhill sprayed the father’s face with CS gas and struck him with a baton but denied it was a racially-motivated attack.

On Thursday, Campbell denied further charges of possessing flick or gravity knives, and sending two grossly offensive messages.

A previous court hearing was told Campbell sent two WhatsApp posts about how he would kidnap, starve and mutilate a woman he knew.

Campbell will appear before magistrates to face those charges at a later date.

Campbell, 42, denied two further offences of possessing documents useful to a terrorist. Those charges relate to manuals for making lethal weapons at home.

The prosecution agreed not to proceed with those terrorism offences, but Det Insp Brett says he posed a “really significant danger”.

“Ultimately my teams and I are focussed on making sure we stop future terrorist attacks,” he said.

“The people who move towards those attacks and complete them have trodden very similar pathways in the past so it’s really important to take people off the streets before they get to that point”.

In mitigation, Jonathan Duffy KC said Campbell no longer held these extremist views and was “ashamed”.

He said Campbell was a collector with a special interest in weapons and was autistic.

Sentencing Campbell to five years and 10 months in prison, Judge Nirmal Shant KC said his white supremacist views were “abhorrent”.

But she added he was legally entitled to hold those views and they were not reflected in the sentencing.

Det Insp Brett says the fact Campbell used to be a police officer was also a serious concern.

“It is really challenging to those of us who are police officers. Rightfully we are held and hold ourselves to a high standard,” he said.

“So there is part of me that is glad to be able to make sure we can address these individuals who have stepped away from that and brought disrespect to our profession as well.

“But also it is about that core mission of making sure we are protecting people in the future”.

BBC News

A nine-week long trial heard how the group idolised Hitler and the Nazis.

Three Nazi-worshipping extremists who believed a race war was imminent have been found guilty of planning terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues.

A jury at Sheffield Crown Court heard how Christopher Ringrose, 34, Marco Pitzettu, 25, and Brogan Stewart, 25, were preparing to use the more than 200 weapons they had amassed, including machetes, swords, crossbows and an illegal stun gun.

Ringrose had also 3D-printed most of the components of a semi-automatic firearm at the time of his arrest and was trying to get the remaining parts.

The trio, who are not believed to have met in the real world before they appeared together in the dock of a court, were arrested when security services believed an attack was imminent after undercover officers infiltrated their online group, the court heard.

A nine-week long trial heard how the group idolised Hitler and the Nazis, shared racist slurs and glorified mass murderers.

On Wednesday, a jury rejected claims the defendants were fantasists with no intention of carrying out their threats and found Ringrose, of Cannock, Staffordshire; Pitzettu, of Mickleover, Derbyshire; and Stewart, of Tingley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, guilty of a charge of preparing acts of terrorism and charges of collecting information likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism.

Ringrose was also convicted of manufacturing a prohibited weapon.

Pitzettu pleaded guilty to obtaining an illegal stun gun at a previous hearing.

The defendants will be sentenced on July 17.

The judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, told them: “You must all expect substantial custodial sentences”.

Evening Standard