Nazi-worshipping extremists guilty of planning terror attacks
Three Nazi-worshipping extremists who believed a race war was imminent have been found guilty of planning terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues.
Brogan Stewart, 25 from West Yorkshire, Christopher Ringrose, 34 from Staffordshire and Marco Pitzettu, 25, from Derbyshire were found guilty of terrorism offences at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday after a jury rejected their claims that they were fantasists who were not serious when they discussed attacks online.
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'.
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley said: 'Stewart, Pitzettu, and Ringrose have today been rightfully convicted of multiple terrorism offences. They were a group that espoused vile racist views and advocated for violence, all to support their extreme right-wing mindset.
'Some of their defence in court was that it was all fantasy or just part of harmless chat, however all three took real world steps to plan and prepare for carrying out an attack on innocent citizens.
'Due to excellent collaborative work with our partners, we were able to infiltrate the group and arrest them before anyone was harmed."
Bethan David, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service's Counter Terrorism Division, said: 'These extremists were plotting violent acts of terrorism against Synagogues, Mosques and Islamic Education Centres. By their own admission, they were inspired by SS tactics and supremacist ideology.
'Had Christopher Ringrose managed to completely finish building the 3-D printed semi-automatic firearm that he had started to, it could have been used leading to devastating consequences.
'The prosecution case against the defendants included their disturbing Telegram and Facebook chats as well as acquiring military equipment such as riot shields, body armour and an arsenal of weapons found at their home addresses that were to be used in readiness for a 'race war'.
'We worked closely with Counter Terrorism Policing North East to prepare a strong case against the defendants, and the jury has today convicted them of their crimes. Extremism is a threat to our society and we will always aim to keep communities safe by seeking to prosecute anyone who prepares for acts of terrorism.'
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North Wales Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Opportunities were missed to save teenage terror suspect, says coroner
Chesterfield Coroner's Court heard that Rhianan Rudd, who died aged 16, was charged with terrorism offences and investigated by MI5 after she downloaded a bomb-making manual, said she wanted to 'blow up' a synagogue and carved a swastika onto her forehead. It emerged that Rhianan was a victim of exploitation by a right-wing extremist, but she was pronounced dead on the morning of May 19 2022 at a children's home five months after her charges were discontinued. Concluding the inquest on Monday, chief coroner Judge Alexia Durran said the missed opportunities were 'not systemic', adding she could not be certain that Rhianan intended to take her own life. 'I'm satisfied the missed opportunities in this case are not systemic,' Ms Durran said. 'I'm not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, Rhianan intended to take her own life. Rhianan's death … was the result of a self-inflicted act but it is not possible to ascertain her intention. 'In the circumstances, I do not consider I should make a prevention of future deaths report. 'Rhianan was known, to family and professionals, to be vulnerable, to have autistic traits and have a history of self-harm.' The coroner recorded Rhianan's cause of death as compression of the neck. She added that agencies involved with her had already made changes since she died. Rhianan's inquest, which heard evidence over four weeks in February and March, focused around the involvement of MI5, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the police, social services, NHS trusts responsible for her mental health care and the children's home where she was living. Speaking before the conclusion of the inquest, Rhianan's mother, Emily Carter, said the teenager, who was known to self harm, was a 'vulnerable child' and 'should have been treated as a victim more than anything'. Ms Carter said: 'I don't know what people thought she could do, but I don't believe that she was ever a threat. It was just what people would put in her head – brainwashed her, basically.' The teenager was 'severely impacted' by the police investigation and 'deeply scared' about going to prison as a result of being prosecuted for terrorism, and 'locked away her thoughts and feelings' about the criminal trial. Judge Durran concluded that it was 'necessary and appropriate' to investigate and prosecute Rhianan for terrorism offences. She said: 'While vulnerability is a relevant factor, a difficult balance must be struck between that vulnerability and protecting the public.' The coroner added: 'I find she was highly affected by her arrest and was concerned about being sent to prison.' It was not known what Rhianan was told by her legal team when the charges were dropped but this may have had a 'psychological impact' on her, the coroner said. Judge Durran decided that Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights was not engaged in the inquest, a decision she delayed until after she had heard all the evidence, meaning no breaches of the state's duty to protect life were identified. The inquest conclusion heard that there were missed opportunities by counter terrorism policing East Midlands (CTPEM) and Derbyshire County Council to refer Rhianan to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which identifies victims of modern slavery, earlier. Judge Durran said: 'I find, even at this early stage around November 2020, sufficient information existed for CTPEM or Derbyshire County Council to make an NRM referral.' She said the 'combination of information available' would create a 'sufficient basis' on which to identify Rhianan as a victim of modern slavery. The coroner added that it was not possible to say if Rhianan's charges would have been discontinued earlier or if it would have a 'more than minimal impact on Rhianan's death' if the NRM referral was made sooner. The coroner also found there was a missed opportunity to refer Rhianan to Nottinghamshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) when she moved to a children's home in the county. Judge Durran said: 'Derbyshire County Council was responsible for this missed opportunity to refer Rhianan to Nottinghamshire CAMHS. As a result, Rhianan was without CAMHS support for a considerable time – effectively from May 2021 to May 2022. 'I find it was a result of individual decisions or missed opportunities to make a referral in an otherwise functioning system.' The coroner said Rhianan did not have mental health support during a 'particularly challenging and difficult period', including her charges being dropped and the sessions with the deradicalisation programme Prevent. But she said it was 'too speculative' to say whether CAMHS support would have made any difference. The coroner found that Ms Carter's previous partner, who had been in prison and had a swastika tattoo, was a 'significant radicalising influence' on Rhianan. The hearing was told that Rhianan's mother made contact with an American, Dax Mallaburn, who had convictions relating to 'violent organised crime', through a write to prisoners scheme. Mr Mallaburn lived with Ms Carter from November 2017 and had 'links to white supremacist groups', the coroner said. Judge Durran said: 'I'm satisfied it's more likely than not that he played a material role in introducing and encouraging Rhianan's interest in extreme, right-wing materials.' Speaking before the conclusion of the inquest, Ms Carter said: '(Mr Mallaburn) did a lot of work in prison to be deradicalised, if you like. And so when he came out and I met him, he never showed any views.' An American neo-Nazi, whom Rhianan spoke to online and allegedly made her send explicit photos, was also a 'significant radicalising influence', the coroner found. The inquest heard that the CPS charged Rhianan without the 'full evidential picture' of her exploitation in April 2021 after she broke her bail conditions by running away from home to Sheffield. The coroner said Rhianan's placement at Bluebell House Residential Home, after she was charged, was a 'positive development' in her life and the staff 'appropriately met' her needs. Judge Durran said: 'I'm satisfied that professionals working with Rhianan were aware of her autism diagnosis. I'm entirely satisfied (staff at the children's home) were able to communicate with and support Rhianan effectively.' The inquest heard that an MI5 investigation was 'the only way to further understand the threat she might pose to national security'. MI5 investigated the girl from October 2020 until her death but had 'no indication' from intelligence gathered that she had intended to end her own life, an MI5 officer told the inquest. Judge Durran said: 'Rhianan was a talented, funny and complex young person who made a lasting impression on those around her and will be deeply missed.'
Powys County Times
30 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Groomed terror suspect not treated as a ‘vulnerable child', says her mother
The mother of an autistic teenager who was groomed and 'brainwashed' by right-wing extremists says she was not treated as a vulnerable child before she took her own life. Rhianan Rudd, who died aged 16, had an 'obsession with Hitler', downloaded a bomb-making manual, and threatened to 'blow up' a synagogue after she was radicalised online by an American neo-Nazi. In the 18 months before she died, Rhianan was diagnosed with autism, investigated by counter-terrorism policing and MI5, and prosecuted over terrorism charges after she had been groomed and allegedly sexually exploited by extremists. Senior coroner Judge Alexia Durran concluded that she was not satisfied that Rhianan intended to end her own life at Chesterfield Coroner's Court on Monday. She said that 'missed opportunities' in Rhianan's case were 'not systemic' and she will not make a prevention of future deaths report. In an interview, Rhianan's mother, Emily Carter, said she believes the teenager's death was preventable and the agencies involved in her case need to be held accountable. Ms Carter said: 'They need to recognise that the way they dealt with things was not the correct way, because she's dead. 'I don't ever want this to happen to another family. This has been devastating. 'If I could save just one child from these people making all their changes and making sure they follow through with everything, there's justice in my eyes – my daughter didn't kill herself for no reason. 'It was just one thing after another basically, but all of them should learn from Rhianan's death, all of them.' Ms Carter said Rhianan was not treated as a vulnerable child, despite her autism diagnosis, and she does not believe her daughter was ever a threat to other people. The mother said: 'She was five foot one, weighed seven stone. She was tiny. 'I don't know what people thought she could do, but I don't believe that she was ever a threat. It was just what people would put in her head – brainwashed her, basically. 'They (the agencies) treated her as a child, but I don't believe they treated her as a vulnerable child. 'If you've got vulnerable children, you take extra steps to watch them, to look after them, to make sure they feel safe, even from themselves, and they didn't. Obviously, she's dead.' The mother said the moment 19 police officers and two detectives came to arrest her daughter at their family home was 'mind-numbing' and she felt 'violated' when officers turned her house 'upside down'. She said: 'It hurt … the fact that they thought that my daughter was some sort of massive terrorist. 'They were going to put her in handcuffs, but the handcuffs didn't go small enough. Even on the smallest ones, they just fell off her hands. That's how small she was.' The inquest heard that the police did not refer Rhianan to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which identifies victims of human trafficking or modern slavery, when they began investigating her in 2020, but the referral was made by Derbyshire County Council in April 2021. Her mother says the NRM referral should have been done 'at the very beginning' because 'they could see that she was vulnerable'. Ms Carter added that she thinks Rhianan should not have been charged, and said: 'She was a child, a vulnerable child. A child with mental health issues. 'She should have been treated as a victim more than anything.' The mother also said it 'angered' her that Rhianan was investigated by MI5 before her death and added: 'If they knew that my daughter was being groomed and sexually exploited online, and then you're investigating at that time, why did nobody come and stop it? 'Why watch a child be completely humiliated, sexualised, trafficked, brainwashed?' Speaking about her daughter's autism diagnosis, Ms Carter said Rhianan would get fixated and 'sucked into' something until it was the 'be all and end all of everything'. She said Rhianan's fixations began with My Little Pony before she became interested in German history, wanted '1940s German furniture in her bedroom', and eventually made contact with extremists on the messaging apps Telegram and Discord. Ms Carter said: 'Finding out that she'd been groomed, and the way these people talked to her … it really changed her wholeness as a person, the way she thinks, the way she feels, everything.' She said that Rhianan was a 'bubbly' girl but she became withdrawn after she was radicalised, and added that the extremists 'took away an innocent child' and 'took away her substance as a person'. She said: 'After she started talking to her so-called friend online – I thought she was talking to gamer friends and friends from school – she started withdrawing. 'She stopped talking about normal things. She wasn't very bubbly, and I'd literally have to drag her out the house.' Ms Carter said she believes Rhianan's death could have been prevented if she was placed in a mental health unit, rather than the children's home, to 'deal with her mood swings, her brain going mad'. She said: 'They don't know a child like a mother does. Even when she was at home, I would wake up two or three times throughout the night and go and check her. These houses aren't guaranteed to do that.' The mother added that it was 'scary' when she referred her daughter to Prevent but she 'knew it had to be done'. She said: 'I was hoping that it was just going to take her two or three times a week to work on her mind, unpick her head, and turn her back into Rhianan. 'Not end up with all these police officers turning up arresting her and pulling my house apart. You don't expect that at all.' The inquest heard that Rhianan took an overdose of her mother's medication after being encouraged to by the 'two competing individuals' in her mind a week before she was charged and moved to the children's home. Recalling that moment, Ms Carter said: 'I go down the stairs and Rhianan was laying on my living room floor. And I actually thought she was dead, but she wasn't. 'She basically called them (an ambulance) when she decided that she changed her mind and didn't want to die.' Ms Carter continued: 'I've made mistakes, and I want the organisations to put their hands up and admit they've made mistakes and to rectify their mistakes so it doesn't happen again. 'And then that way everybody can be happy, except me, because I've already lost my daughter.' Ms Carter described Rhianan as 'loving, kind' and a 'really beautiful soul'. She added: 'Her brother, Brandon, and Rhianan were like two peas in a pod, and he just feels completely lost without her.' Following the inquest, Ms Carter said the family's anguish was increased by hearing that Rhianan was 'let down by the police, the Prevent anti-terror programme, Derbyshire County Council and the mental health bodies'. In a statement read outside Chesterfield Coroner's Court on behalf of Ms Carter by Anna Moore of Leigh Day Solicitors, she added: 'The chief coroner has found that Rhianan was denied access to services which should have supported and protected her and, I believe, could have saved her life. 'Looking at the number of missed opportunities recognised by the coroner, it's hard to see how they cannot have had an impact on Rhianan's state of mind.'
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Groomed terror suspect not treated as a ‘vulnerable child', says her mother
Rhianan Rudd, who died aged 16, had an 'obsession with Hitler', downloaded a bomb-making manual, and threatened to 'blow up' a synagogue after she was radicalised online by an American neo-Nazi. In the 18 months before she died, Rhianan was diagnosed with autism, investigated by counter-terrorism policing and MI5, and prosecuted over terrorism charges after she had been groomed and allegedly sexually exploited by extremists. Senior coroner Judge Alexia Durran concluded that she was not satisfied that Rhianan intended to end her own life at Chesterfield Coroner's Court on Monday. She said that 'missed opportunities' in Rhianan's case were 'not systemic' and she will not make a prevention of future deaths report. In an interview, Rhianan's mother, Emily Carter, said she believes the teenager's death was preventable and the agencies involved in her case need to be held accountable. Ms Carter said: 'They need to recognise that the way they dealt with things was not the correct way, because she's dead. 'I don't ever want this to happen to another family. This has been devastating. 'If I could save just one child from these people making all their changes and making sure they follow through with everything, there's justice in my eyes – my daughter didn't kill herself for no reason. 'It was just one thing after another basically, but all of them should learn from Rhianan's death, all of them.' Ms Carter said Rhianan was not treated as a vulnerable child, despite her autism diagnosis, and she does not believe her daughter was ever a threat to other people. The mother said: 'She was five foot one, weighed seven stone. She was tiny. 'I don't know what people thought she could do, but I don't believe that she was ever a threat. It was just what people would put in her head – brainwashed her, basically. 'They (the agencies) treated her as a child, but I don't believe they treated her as a vulnerable child. 'If you've got vulnerable children, you take extra steps to watch them, to look after them, to make sure they feel safe, even from themselves, and they didn't. Obviously, she's dead.' The mother said the moment 19 police officers and two detectives came to arrest her daughter at their family home was 'mind-numbing' and she felt 'violated' when officers turned her house 'upside down'. She said: 'It hurt … the fact that they thought that my daughter was some sort of massive terrorist. 'They were going to put her in handcuffs, but the handcuffs didn't go small enough. Even on the smallest ones, they just fell off her hands. That's how small she was.' The inquest heard that the police did not refer Rhianan to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which identifies victims of human trafficking or modern slavery, when they began investigating her in 2020, but the referral was made by Derbyshire County Council in April 2021. Her mother says the NRM referral should have been done 'at the very beginning' because 'they could see that she was vulnerable'. Ms Carter added that she thinks Rhianan should not have been charged, and said: 'She was a child, a vulnerable child. A child with mental health issues. 'She should have been treated as a victim more than anything.' The mother also said it 'angered' her that Rhianan was investigated by MI5 before her death and added: 'If they knew that my daughter was being groomed and sexually exploited online, and then you're investigating at that time, why did nobody come and stop it? 'Why watch a child be completely humiliated, sexualised, trafficked, brainwashed?' Speaking about her daughter's autism diagnosis, Ms Carter said Rhianan would get fixated and 'sucked into' something until it was the 'be all and end all of everything'. She said Rhianan's fixations began with My Little Pony before she became interested in German history, wanted '1940s German furniture in her bedroom', and eventually made contact with extremists on the messaging apps Telegram and Discord. Ms Carter said: 'Finding out that she'd been groomed, and the way these people talked to her … it really changed her wholeness as a person, the way she thinks, the way she feels, everything.' She said that Rhianan was a 'bubbly' girl but she became withdrawn after she was radicalised, and added that the extremists 'took away an innocent child' and 'took away her substance as a person'. She said: 'After she started talking to her so-called friend online – I thought she was talking to gamer friends and friends from school – she started withdrawing. 'She stopped talking about normal things. She wasn't very bubbly, and I'd literally have to drag her out the house.' Ms Carter said she believes Rhianan's death could have been prevented if she was placed in a mental health unit, rather than the children's home, to 'deal with her mood swings, her brain going mad'. She said: 'They don't know a child like a mother does. Even when she was at home, I would wake up two or three times throughout the night and go and check her. These houses aren't guaranteed to do that.' The mother added that it was 'scary' when she referred her daughter to Prevent but she 'knew it had to be done'. She said: 'I was hoping that it was just going to take her two or three times a week to work on her mind, unpick her head, and turn her back into Rhianan. 'Not end up with all these police officers turning up arresting her and pulling my house apart. You don't expect that at all.' The inquest heard that Rhianan took an overdose of her mother's medication after being encouraged to by the 'two competing individuals' in her mind a week before she was charged and moved to the children's home. Recalling that moment, Ms Carter said: 'I go down the stairs and Rhianan was laying on my living room floor. And I actually thought she was dead, but she wasn't. 'She basically called them (an ambulance) when she decided that she changed her mind and didn't want to die.' Ms Carter continued: 'I've made mistakes, and I want the organisations to put their hands up and admit they've made mistakes and to rectify their mistakes so it doesn't happen again. 'And then that way everybody can be happy, except me, because I've already lost my daughter.' Ms Carter described Rhianan as 'loving, kind' and a 'really beautiful soul'. She added: 'Her brother, Brandon, and Rhianan were like two peas in a pod, and he just feels completely lost without her.' Following the inquest, Ms Carter said the family's anguish was increased by hearing that Rhianan was 'let down by the police, the Prevent anti-terror programme, Derbyshire County Council and the mental health bodies'. In a statement read outside Chesterfield Coroner's Court on behalf of Ms Carter by Anna Moore of Leigh Day Solicitors, she added: 'The chief coroner has found that Rhianan was denied access to services which should have supported and protected her and, I believe, could have saved her life. 'Looking at the number of missed opportunities recognised by the coroner, it's hard to see how they cannot have had an impact on Rhianan's state of mind.'
