Teenager who planned mass killing at mosque given ten-year sentence
The 17-year-old had planned to set fire to a Muslim centre in Greenock, Inverclyde, after befriending the imam and mapping out the building's interior on his phone.
In January this year police apprehended the youth, who was carrying a camouflage military-style rucksack, as he tried to gain entry to the Inverclyde Muslim Centre on Laird Street.
Inside the bag they found a German-manufactured Glock-type air pistol, ammunition, ball bearings, gas cartridges and aerosol cans, prosecutors said.
He was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday after pleading guilty to two terrorism charges, the Crown Office said.
The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, was also sentenced to eight years of supervision on licence upon release.
In a sentencing statement, Lord Justice 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 was radicalised online and idolised the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, began to plot an attack on the site in December and planned to set it on fire using aerosols and lighters. He boasted of his plans on the social media platform Telegram.
The teenager joined the mosque's WhatsApp group, saying he was 'looking for guidance'. Despite harbouring anti-Muslim views which he had been writing about for two years, the boy won the trust of the imam during several visits.
He later filmed himself wandering the corridors, including footage that showed him with the superimposed image of a hand carrying a semi-automatic pistol. When the image moved over a religious poster, it appeared to be set on fire, due to a visual effect.
In January this year the boy contacted a local rifle club about how to obtain a firearm and had become fixated on an attack, according to prosecutors.
On January 23, police apprehended him as he tried to gain entry to the mosque.
The teenager had mapped out the mosque's interior on his phone, according to prosecutors, who said he was about to act on his neo-Nazi views 'to cause pain and suffering'.
The boy pleaded guilty to two terrorism charges: being in possession of documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, and engaging in the preparation of committing acts of terrorism.
The court heard that in 2022, the boy began formulating plans to carry out a terrorist attack at his school and started writing a personal manifesto on his mobile phone from November that year. Split into chapters, the notes outlined his political beliefs and contained anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Following his arrest, detectives found a copy of Adolf Hitler's autobiographical manifesto Mein Kampf in his bedroom, as well as air weapons, knives, masks, and instructions and ingredients to manufacture explosives.
He also had a list on his phone of fascists he idolised, including Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Breivik.
Sineidin Corrins, the deputy procurator fiscal for specialist casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: 'The offences committed by this individual were deeply disturbing.
'Viewing, sharing and posting such extreme and illegal material online can encourage and incite others into extremist activity, spreads hatred and poses a serious risk of harm to the public.
'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. Fortunately, he was apprehended and this was prevented.'
Stuart Houston, Police Scotland assistant chief constable, said: 'This was a fast-moving and complicated inquiry and officers carried out a diligent and thorough investigation to gather the evidence and brought him to court, which will now see him face the consequences of his intentions.
'Keeping our communities safe from acts of terrorism remains a priority for Police Scotland and its officers.'
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