Newport man guilty of racist attack on a Shrewsbury hotel housing refugees

A racist who smashed around twenty windows at a hotel providing accommodation to refugees in Shrewsbury was found guilty at Kidderminster Magistrates Court yesterday (April 26).

Rory Allington-Mott, 33, admitted racially aggravated criminal damage, which police estimate caused thousands of pounds of damage to the hotel during the afternoon of April 20.

The Lion Hotel announced late last year that it would close its doors to customers and help give temporary accommodation to refugees in line with an ongoing government scheme. A statement from the hotel at the time read: “We are working with the Government to welcome people who desperately need a roof over their head – often people who have escaped war-torn countries, and are seeking a safe place to stay while they wait for a more permanent home,” adding that would it provide ongoing employment to its staff and leave them in “good stead for the future”.

Weeks later, West Mercia Police responded to a bomb threat against the hotel on December 9, 2022, causing an area evacuation for several hours until officers declared it a hoax.

The MyShrewsbury newspaper interviewed several refugees, including Afghan men who fled the Taliban, fearing violence – leaving behind family, children and wives. Other refugees mentioned included a Ukrainian man who provided free haircuts.

Whilst the article highlighted positive community schemes and support, it also highlighted the abuse directed towards the refugees – including online comments linking them to crime.

Allington-Mott, who is not from Shrewsbury, but 93 miles away in the High Street area of Newport, received a 24-week prison sentence suspended for one year. He must also carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, compensate the Lion Hotel to the sum of £1680, pay a victim surcharge of £154 and costs of £185.

The investigating officer PC Chloe Spiers said: “We are really pleased with the quick and efficient way in which this case has been dealt with. I hope this reassures our communities that we will act quickly and decisively to bring offenders to justice.”

 

 

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Categories: Afghan refugees, hate crime, hotel, News, refugee, Shrewsbury, West Mercia Police

Syrian man arrested for planning Islamist attack in Germany

German police have arrested a 28-year-old Syrian man in the northern port city of Hamburg on suspicion of planning an Islamist attack, police and prosecutors announced on Tuesday.

His brother, who is four years younger and lives in Kempten near the Austrian border in the southern state of Bavaria, is suspected of having aided and abetted in the planning of the alleged attack, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Hamburg Criminal Police Office and the Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office.

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Categories: Bavaria, Hamburg, Islamist attack, Syrian Man, Syrian Refugee

Syrian man arrested for planning Islamist attack in Germany

German police have arrested a 28-year-old Syrian man in the northern port city of Hamburg on suspicion of planning an Islamist attack, police and prosecutors announced on Tuesday.

His brother, who is four years younger and lives in Kempten near the Austrian border in the southern state of Bavaria, is suspected of having aided and abetted in the planning of the alleged attack, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Hamburg Criminal Police Office and the Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office.

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Categories: Bavaria, Hamburg, Islamist attack, Syrian Man, Syrian Refugee

Two conspiracy theorists accused of plotting to destroy 5G masts

Two anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists plotted to destroy 5G masts and called for MPs to be hanged, prosecutors have told a jury.

Darren Reynolds, 60, and Christine Grayson, 59, discussed armed uprisings and advocated violence towards people they called “traitors” on social media, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Reynolds “went further” and posted extreme right-wing, antisemitic and racist views, jurors were told.

Both defendants are charged with encouraging terrorism and conspiracy to cause criminal damage.

Reynolds is also accused of disseminating terrorist publications and possessing documents containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Opening the case to jurors on Monday, prosecutor Tom Storey said the defendants knew each other through the social media platform Telegram, which both were regular users of between 2020 and 2022.

Mr Storey said the pair subscribed to an anti-authoritarian ideology which involved conspiracy theories, including the view that 5G mobile phone masts were linked to the Covid-19 vaccine.

“As a result of these beliefs, they overtly discussed the potential destruction of 5G masts, both in principle and by reference to specific masts which they felt should be targeted,” he told the court.

Prosecutors say the defendants’ views “crossed the line” from expressing opinions, to “overtly advocating the use of violence towards those whom they regarded as traitors”.

“The defendants’ talk of the need to arm oneself and to engage in a fight against the enemy would appear to have been backed up by the fact that both were found to be in possession of weapons,” Mr Storey said.

When police searched their addresses they found a crossbow and a number of crossbow bolts at Grayson’s home, while at Reynolds’ they discovered two replica assault rifles.

The police also found copies of documents about how to use assault rifles or manufacture explosive devices on some of Reynolds’ electronic devices.

The court heard both defendants were strongly opposed to the rollout of the 5G network, and regarded 5G masts as pieces of “enemy infrastructure which they were entitled to disable or destroy”.

Jurors were told that among the references to destroying the masts was one on July 29 2021, when Reynolds told another Telegram user: “Solution: burn the f***ers down, they’re mostly in highly populated areas, so getting to them is no biggy.”

Grayson said she needed a “sabotage team” to “get rid of these 5G bloody near me” in a Telegram exchange on August 7 2021.

Jurors were told the defendants openly discussed the use of violence against those who they labelled “traitors”, particularly Members of Parliament.

On June 29 2021, Reynolds posted: “Storm parliament and the Lords, drag them all outside and hang them all on the spot for treason, sedition insurgency, attempted genocide and crimes against the peoples of Great Britain,” the court heard.

A month later, he posted: “How long are we going to wait before we take these f***ers down? I cannot wait to see these creatures hang, every single one of the 650 or so MP’s must be brought to book and hanged!!!”

Reynolds described murdered MP David Ames as a “traitor” and reacted with approval to another user’s view that Thomas Mair had “rightly executed the murdered MP Jo Cox because of her alleged treason”.

The court heard on June 28 2022, Grayson posted: “I saw 2 and a half million people in London we only need a few thousand a few hundred to get the mps in their own offices,” later saying: “It’s still lawful to hang for treason.”

Mr Storey said the “terrorist publications” Reynolds is accused of sharing included a manifesto written by Anders Breivik – who was responsible for murdering some 70 young people at a summer camp in Norway in 2011.

The documents found on his computer which were allegedly likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism included a manual on how to build a .50 Browning calibre single shot rifle, and a document called How to Become an Assassin.

The court heard that in one police interview, Reynolds asked officers: “Do I look like a terrorist to you?” He then said that terrorists were “usually Arabs, or Irish from the 70s”.

The court heard Grayson denied having any intention to criminally damage 5G masts, telling police any comments she may have made to that effect were made in jest.

Mr Storey said Reynolds subscribed to the view that he is not bound by the laws of England and Wales, and feels that all communication he has had is “lawful, given his right to freedom of speech”.

Grayson, of Boothwood Road, York, and Reynolds, of Newbould Crescent, Sheffield, deny all charges.

The trial continues.

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Categories: 5 G mast, 5 G network, Anti-vaccine, Christine Grayson, Conspiracy theorists, Darren Reynolds

Lebanese-Canadian academic convicted of Paris synagogue bombing in 1980

A Lebanese-Canadian academic has been convicted in absentia of terrorism charges and sentenced to life in prison over a bombing outside a Paris synagogue in 1980 that killed four and wounded 46.

The court in the French capital issued an arrest warrant for Hassan Diab, who lives in Ottawa, Canada, and denies wrongdoing.

His lawyers say he was in Lebanon at the time of the attack and is a victim of mistaken identity.

The trial marked the culmination of decades of investigation into one of France’s longest unsolved crimes.

French authorities accuse Diab of planting the bomb outside the synagogue where 320 worshipers had gathered to mark the end of a Jewish holiday on the evening of October 3 1980, including children celebrating their bar mitzvahs.

French investigators attributed the synagogue attack to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-Special Operations but no one ever claimed responsibility.

The conviction was a surprise to many even in the court. Among the defence witnesses was a magistrate who investigated the case and testified that there was not enough evidence to convict Diab.

The head of France’s leading Jewish group, CRIF, welcomed the conviction, and urged Canada to arrest Diab.

The victims’ lawyers said the long-awaited trial will serve as a deterrent to other terrorist acts and antisemitic sentiments.

French authorities accused Diab of planting the bomb on a motorbike outside the synagogue on Rue Copernic.

Investigators initially suspected far-right extremists before shifting their focus to Palestinian militants.

Canada authorised Diab’s extradition to France in 2014 as part of the investigation, but after three years in pre-trial detention, anti-terrorism judges ordered him to be freed due to lack of evidence.

Then an appeals court ruled that he should stand trial on terrorism charges. Diab remained in Canada throughout the trial, which started earlier this month.

For those touched by the attack, the trial was a long-awaited opportunity to speak publicly about what happened.

Survivors described years of physical and mental trauma. Some said the sound of motorcycles haunted them after that night. Families of those killed mourned lost children or siblings.

Prosecutors argued that Diab has been lying to himself for 40 years and is caught up in his denial and escape from reality.

Diab’s lawyer William Bourdon had pleaded for an acquittal, saying that convicting someone would be “a judicial mistake”.

Amnesty International was among those which called for the court to drop what they called a flawed and baseless case, arguing that it “undermines effective justice for victims”.

Some lawyers for the 18 people and six groups that were party to the case acknowledged that it was hard to build a case so many years later, especially without the kind of DNA evidence or mobile phone data used in current investigations.

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Categories: 1980, Bombing, conviction, CRIF, France, Hassan Diab, Jewish Community, Ottawa, Paris synagogue, terrorism

Terrorist police called in to investigate house explosion

Terrorist police have been called in to investigate an explosion at a house which left a man in his 40s with life-changing injuries.

A specialist explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team has been leading searches at the property in Loring Road, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, following the incident at around 7.40pm on Monday.

And the police investigation, being led by Bedfordshire Police, is being supported by Counter Terrorism Policing.

The injured man was take to hospital following the explosion, where he remains.

He has been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Explosive Substances Act, but has yet to be interviewed because of his ongoing treatment.

A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: “Searches at the address are expected to continue over the coming days. Three neighbouring properties have been evacuated as a precaution.”

He added: “Due to the nature of the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing has deployed resources with access to specialist capabilities to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

Detective Superintendent Will Hodgkinson said: “Incidents of this nature are understandably of great concern to local communities and I wish to thank everyone for their patience, cooperation and understanding.

“This is especially true of those residents who have had to move elsewhere while we carry out our inquiries.

“While our investigation remains at an early stage and we are keeping an open mind, this is believed to be an isolated incident with no risk to the wider public.

“An emergency services presence is likely to remain at the scene for much of the rest of the week, and we’ll continue to progress with our investigation as quickly as we can whilst we get to the bottom of what has happened.”

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Categories: Counter-terrorism policing, House explosion, Terrorist police

Woman avoids prison for mosque bomb hoax in Lancashire

A woman who made a bomb hoax about a mosque in the Lancashire town of Brierfield has avoided prison.

The Lancashire Telegraph reported that 60-year-old Terry Chester received a one-year prison sentence, suspended for 24 months at Blackburn Magistrates Court last week (April 6).

Ms Chester put a handwritten note through her neighbour’s door that read “Bomb. Mosque. Sackville Street. Also man has gun on Guildford Street. Police.”

Terry Chester did not seek to alert the police, having her version of events roundly dismissed by the courts last month.

Neighbour, Saiqa Bibi, alerted the authorities after discovering the note, which referred to the Jamia Mosque Sultania, the Lancashire Telegraph added.

LancsLive reported that Chester had historical convictions for arson and other public order offences and was guilty of a malicious communications offence by putting a person in fear of their safety, as the magistrates showed CCTV footage of Chester bending down to put the note through Ms Bibi’s door.

The perpetrator’s intent (whether indecent or grossly offensive, contains threats or false information) is to cause distress or anxiety. The offence occurs upon sending the communication.

Guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service makes clear that bomb hoaxes often fall under Wasting Police Time – a section 5(2) offence under the Criminal Law Act 1967, improper use of Public Electronic Communications Networks – a section 127 offence under the Communications Act 2003, or finally, a section 51 offence that contravenes the Criminal Law Act 1977.

The remorseless Chester must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work, £513.80 for compensating police costs, a further £500 to the prosecution, and £187 fee to the courts, the Lancashire Telegraph added.

 

 

 

 

 

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Categories: bomb hoax, hate crime, Lancashire, Lancashire Police, mosques, News

28 year prison sentence for racist who tried to kill Muslim security guard in Essex

A racist who slashed the throat of a Muslim security guard in Braintree, Essex, received a 28-year prison sentence for attempted murder.

Geoffrey Ryan, 53, who was drinking at The Lounge in Market Square last September, became aggressive towards other customers, and when two security staff approached him at 9 pm that evening, he targeted them with anti-Muslim remarks.

By 9:30 pm, as Essex Police detailed, a group of women reported Ryan’s harassment, and after security intervened again, Geoffrey Ryan made more anti-Muslim remarks and threw his drink over the security staff’s colleague.

The Basildon, Canvey & Southend Echo reported that Ryan made death threats towards the staff and flicked a cigarette towards them.

After staff removed a hooded Ryan from the premises, he returned to the town centre, driving a Seat Ibiza and waiting in a supermarket car park before he walked to the pub, approached the security guard, and used a razor to slash their neck.

Police emphasised that the sheer level of violence almost resulted in murder, leaving the Muslim man with life-changing injuries, surviving thanks to the quick actions of police and other emergency services.

Charges against Ryan included attempted murder and racially aggravated harassment.

Judge David Turner KC said: “I am completely satisfied it had a significant and disturbing anti-Muslim flavour,” the Basildon, Canvey & Southend Echo added in their sentencing coverage.

In a statement, Detective Inspector Lydia George of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: “Ryan showed clear intention to kill the victim. He is undoubtedly a very dangerous individual and, today, justice was served for the victim and his family.

“This incident continues to have a lasting impact on the victim, but it is no exaggeration to say we could very easily have been investigating a murder. The wound was just millimetres from being fatal.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Categories: Essex, hate crime, News

British neo-Nazi terrorist and paedophile jailed in Ireland over mosque plot

A British neo-Nazi who absconded terrorism and child abuse charges by fleeing to Ireland received a ten-year sentence after Irish police (Gardai) foiled his Christchurch-influenced terror plot and possessing child abuse images.

A lengthy investigation by Irish counter-terror police brought 37-year-old Mark Wolf to justice after pinpointing his location to a hostel in Gardiner Street, Dublin. At that point, raiding his room, they discovered his imported firearm components, a guide on building 3D-printed weapons and four electronic devices containing sickening child abuse images, the Christchurch terror attack video and snuff videos.

Several Irish media outlets covered Wolf’s trial and subsequent conviction. The profoundly disturbing details of his plots and twisted collection of child abuse images and snuff materials he downloaded appear in greater detail in the Irish Examiner – which detailed how Wolf also sought to register a pro-paedophile web domain. Other sickening details appear in other Irish media, but we will not publish them further.

The Sunday World published pictures of Wolf and his military tactical gear, flick knives, goggles, a mask and a Sonnenrud (Black Sun) flag.

Wolf possessed much neo-Nazi paraphernalia, and his choice of hostel put him near a mosque.

Wolf’s efforts to build an arsenal of deadly weapons did not go unnoticed elsewhere – as the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report for 2022 referenced Wolf’s arrest and trial in the section headed “paramilitary training and activities”.

Mark Wolf, also known as Mark Nolan and Mark Peppered, has a long history of violence in the UK (resulting in various criminal convictions) and had awaited extradition to the UK until new charges emerged in Ireland in December 2021.

The prolific online chats Gardai officers uncovered included Wolf’s violent desire to murder children.

Weapon components Wolf had imported into his Dublin hostel included silencers, triggers and trigger bars for semi-automatic pistols, a complete set of pins and ten magazine springs.

Wolf would plead guilty at Dublin’s Circuit Criminal Court to four charges concerning possessing components of a firearm, possessing an electronic document related to assembling a firearm, three charges of importing firearm components into Ireland and finally, three charges of possessing child abuse images in June 2021.

Judge Nolan called Wolf’s views “obnoxious”, recognising that he “demonstrated this man had an interest in violent means and had hostility towards certain groups,” and imposed a ten-year prison sentence and acknowledged how the guilty plea was an “important” factor in the length of the sentence.

Wolf’s conviction might also be the first related to far-right terrorism in the Irish courts, according to the Irish Times.

Tell MAMA continues to document those convicted of far-right terror offences and how they take influence from the white supremacist, anti-Muslim terrorism in Christchurch.

 

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Categories: Christchurch, Far Right groups, Ireland, Neo-Nazi, News

Man appears in court over alleged terror plot to burn bookshop

A former British soldier has appeared at the Old Bailey accused of an extreme far-right terrorist plot to burn down a book shop.

William Howitt, 26, of West Bridgford, Nottingham, is charged with preparation of terrorist acts.

It is alleged that on or before March 14, he “wrote a plan for conducting an arson attack and equipped himself with a glass hammer and tarpaulin with a view to carrying out an arson attack”.

The alleged target is said to be a left-wing bookshop in Nottingham.

The alleged plot was uncovered after defendant was stopped by counter-terrorism police at East Midlands on January 5.

On Friday, Howitt, who has worked in construction since leaving the Army, appeared by video link from custody at the Old Bailey for a preliminary hearing.

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker transferred the case to Birmingham Crown Court.

He said a plea hearing would take place on July 14 with a provisional trial from October 30.

The defendant was remanded into custody.

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Categories: Birmingham, Bookstore, British soldier, Terror Plot, William Howitt