Latest news with #MarcoPitzettu
The Sun
14-05-2025
- The Sun
Sick Neo-Nazis who stockpiled over 200 weapons & planned terror attack on mosque facing jail
THREE neo-Nazi extremists who stockpiled more than 200 weapons are facing substantial jail terms for planning a terror attack on a mosque. Christopher Ringrose, Marco Pitzettu and Brogan Stewart hoarded machetes, swords, crossbows and an illegal stun gun believing a race war was imminent. 5 5 5 Ringrose also 3D-printed most components of an assault rifle, which only needed a barrel and firing pin to complete. Their nine-week trial heard the group idolised Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, shared racist and homophobic slurs and glorified mass murderers. The three, who are understood to have never met in person before their arrests, discussed attacking the al-Amin Islamic educational centre in Leeds. They communicated on the encrypted app Telegram under the name Einsatz 14 — a reference to Nazi death squads. The men were arrested in February 2024 as the security services believed an attack was imminent after undercover cops infiltrated their group. Sheffield crown court heard jobless Stewart, 25, lived with his mum in Tingley, West Yorks, and had a Nazi flag hanging in his bedroom. He recruited Ringrose, 34, of Cannock, Staffs, and Pitzettu, 25, from Mickleover, Derby. Married Ringrose, boss at a car parts supplier, posted a photo of his one-year-old son in a Nazi skull mask. Pitzettu, a mechanic, shared videos of the 2019 mosque massacres in New Zealand. Days before their arrest, in a group call, they discussed seeking 'human targets' near the Islamic centre. Stewart told them to 'do whatever we do then back at mine for tea and medals and a debrief'. A jury yesterday rejected claims they were fantasists and found the three men guilty of multiple terrorism offences. They are in custody to be sentenced in July and judge Mrs Justice Cutts told them: 'You must all expect substantial custodial sentences.' Det Chief Supt James Dunkerley said the men had taken 'real world steps to plan and prepare for carrying out an attack on innocent citizens'. 5
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Three Nazi extremists convicted of planning terrorist attack in England
Three Nazi extremists who amassed an arsenal of 200 weapons and discussed targeting mosques and synagogues in England have been convicted of planning a terrorist attack. Among the haul of weapons was a 3D gun that was almost ready to be fired. The planned attack was averted when an undercover officer infiltrated the self-styled Nazi cell. The three men were Christopher Ringrose, 34, from Cannock, Marco Pitzettu, 25, from Derby, and Brogan Stewart, 25, from West Yorkshire, who formed a virtual cell and had never met. They admired Adolf Hitler and spouted anti-immigrant rhetoric, shared material from the far-right activist Tommy Robinson and discussed attacking places housing migrants to Britain. They were convicted by a jury at Sheffield crown court of multiple terrorism and firearms offences and warned by the judge they faced lengthy jail sentences. Among their weapons were deactivated guns that they were trying to restore, crossbows, hunting-style knives and a tomahawk. The 3D gun was built from instructions found on the web and needed only a firing pin, bolt and barrel to be turned into a lethal weapon. They identified an Islamic centre in Leeds to attack, and discussed abducting and torturing an Imam, the route they would take, how they would avoid detection and their escape. Stewart chose himself as the 'Fuhrer' or leader and laid down uniform rules for members to be clad in Nazi-style clothing. He called the group Einsatz 14, referencing Nazi paramilitary death squads, and appointed Pitzettu and Ringroseas 'armourers'. The group, which believe in a race war, criticised other extremist far-right groups for not taking action. Using the messaging app Telegram, Stewart wrote that other far-right groups just 'sit around and talk'. 'I want to get my own group together because action speaks louder than words,' he wrote. Stewart added: 'I would love to beat faggots up too' and 'I want to storm the government buildings and hang the politicians. The government are full of Jews and other enemies.' The group were arrested on 20 February 2024 after being infiltrated by an undercover officer called Blackheart. Targets they had discussed for harassment and attacks included mosques, Islamic education centres and synagogues. Ringrose, a manager at a car parts supplier, posted a photo of his one-year-old son wearing a skull mask and the words 'choose violence' while Pitzettu, a mechanic, shared videos of the Christchurch mosque massacre. Stewart, the self-appointed leader, had never had a job and lived with his mother. In a group telephone call on 5 February, two weeks before their arrest, Stewart laid out an attack plan to 'cruise around' looking for 'human targets' near an Islamic education centre, 'do what whatever we do then back at mine for tea and medals and a debrief'. Stewart said he wanted the members to 'hang out, bring ourselves closer together and just cement that brotherhood'. But the meeting was cancelled because of bad weather. Opening the trial, prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC said: 'The defendants had identified potential locations and targets and it was the imminent threat of an attack that led to the defendants being arrested.' The court heard Stewart said of the group's ideology: 'Personally, I've taken inspiration from the SS,' and added: 'I also hope that we can extort political rivals and potentially plan operations to meet migrants landing on our beaches and deal with them.' DCI James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: 'They were a group that espoused vile racist views and advocated for violence, all to support their extreme rightwing mindset. 'All three took real-world steps to plan and prepare for carrying out an attack on innocent citizens.' 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 an Islamic education centre. By their own admission, they were inspired by SS tactics and supremacist ideology. 'Had Christopher Ringrose managed to completely finish building the 3D-printed semi-automatic firearm that he had started to, it could have been used leading to devastating consequences.' They will be sentenced on 17 July.
Arab News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Neo-Nazis plotted terrorist attacks on UK mosques and synagogues
LONDON: Three far-right extremists were convicted in a UK court on Wednesday of planning terrorist attacks against mosques and synagogues. The men were part of an online neo-Nazi group that had stockpiled more than 200 weapons and were close to finishing a 3-D printed semi-automatic gun. Brogan Stewart, 25, Marco Pitzettu, 25, and Christopher Ringrose, 34, were found guilty of multiple terrorism and firearms offenses, following a nine-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court. They will be sentenced in July. The group were arrested in February last year after an investigation by counter terrorism police found that the men were intent on carrying out a violent attack. 'These extremists were plotting violent acts of terrorism against synagogues, mosques and Islamic education centers,' said Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's Counter Terrorism Division. 'By their own admission, they were inspired by SS (Nazi) tactics and supremacist ideology.' Counter terrorism police said that the men belonged to an online group that provided an echo chamber of extreme right-wing views. They shared horrific racial slurs, glorified mass murderers and encouraged violence. The group, which idolized the Nazi Germany regime, prepared for what they claimed would be a 'race war' by sourcing body armor and weapons including machetes, hunting knives, swords and crossbows. 'They were a group that espoused vile racist views and advocated for violence, all to support their extreme right-wing mindset,' said Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East. 'All three took real-world steps to plan and prepare for carrying out an attack on innocent citizens.'
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Telegraph
Nazi-worshipping trio's cache of swords and crossbows uncovered
A trio of Nazi-obsessed fanatics amassed a cache of swords, crossbows and a 3D-printed semi-automatic firearm in preparation for an attack on a mosque or a synagogue. Right-wing extremists Christopher Ringrose, 34, Marco Pitzettu, 25, and Brogan Stewart, 25, were found guilty of terrorism offences at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday. The men, who were part of a militant online group, claimed they were merely fantasists who never intended to carry out an attack. However, the jury rejected their claims, and anti-terrorism detectives believe that if they had not been arrested they would have carried out a mass casualty attack. A nine-week-long trial heard how the group, which had been infiltrated by undercover officers, idolised Hitler and the Nazis, shared racist slurs and glorified mass murderers. 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. Jurors were shown a video of a police firearms expert, who for an unknown reason has his face blurred and magnified, testing a completed version of the weapon to show it would have been viable. Opening the trial in March, Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, said: 'The prosecution say that these three defendants were Right-wing extremists who regarded themselves as National Socialists, or Nazis, and they supported the National Socialist movement in the UK, such as it is or indeed was.' He said the defendants followed a cause that embraced an admiration for Hitler, white supremacy, a 'hatred towards black and other non-white races', and glorification and admiration for mass killers who have targeted the black and Muslim community. The prosecutor told the jury that the defendants formed a group called Einsatz 14 in January 2024, with 'like-minded extremists' who wanted to 'go to war for their chosen cause'. He told the jury of seven men and five women that the men all held a 'belief that there must soon be a race war between the white and other races'. Mr Sandiford said an undercover officer called Blackheart was also part of Einsatz 14 and was referred to as the 'Obergruppenführer'. Stewart developed a mission statement for the group that said its 'basic duties' were to 'target mosques, Islamic education centres and other similar locations'. The court heard the group discussed potential targets at the end of January 2024. The court heard Stewart sent Blackheart details of the Islamic education centre on Mexborough Road in Leeds, including a Google Maps image. Det Ch Supt James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said the men had collected more than 200 weapons, including knives, swords, body armour and a stun gun. But he said that 'most concerning' was the fact they tried to acquire a gun and this led them to build a 3D-printed firearm. The officer said: 'We saw this building of a firearm, and we saw them then changing their conversation and an up-tick in their hatred and looking to identify a real-world target, which could have been talk of a synagogue, an Islamic institution, a mosque, education... 'When we saw that up-tick changing, and they were looking to come out into the real world, that's when we took the action to arrest them.' Mr Dunkerley said: 'That was a tipping point for us. The protection of the public was absolutely paramount, and this wasn't some fantasy.' He added: 'If they took that 3D-printed firearm onto the streets and discharged it, it would kill somebody.' 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 an Islamic education centre. By their own admission, they were inspired by SS tactics and supremacist ideology. 'Had Christopher Ringrose managed to completely finish building the 3D-printed semi-automatic firearm that he had started, it could have been used leading to devastating consequences.' Ringrose, of Cannock, Staffordshire; Pitzettu, of Mickleover, Derbyshire; and Stewart, of Tingley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, were all found 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, while Pitzettu pleaded guilty to obtaining an illegal stun gun at a previous hearing. The defendants will be sentenced on July 17.
Al Jazeera
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
UK neo-Nazis convicted of planning mosque, synagogue ‘race war' attack
Police in the United Kingdom say three men have been convicted of planning to carry out an attack on mosques or synagogues in anticipation of a coming race war. Brogan Stewart and Marco Pitzettu, both aged 25, and Christopher Ringrose, 34, all pleaded not guilty but were convicted of all charges by jurors at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday. Sentencing is scheduled for July 17. 'Stewart, Pitzettu, and Ringrose have today been rightfully convicted of multiple terrorism offences,' Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said in a statement. 'They were a group that espoused vile racist views and advocated for violence, all to support their extreme right-wing mindset.' The convictions come amid a debate in the UK over immigration rights as the left-of-centre Labour Party adopts increasingly harsh rhetoric on migration amid increasing public support for the far right. Critics said a recent speech by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in which he said immigration threatened to turn the UK into an 'island of strangers' helps legitimise a view perpetuated by the far right that immigration is a destructive and dangerous force. The convicted far-right group was part of a Telegram channel named Einsatz 14, in which they talked about executing former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and torturing imams. 'It was their belief that there must soon come a time when there would be a race war between the white and other races,' prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford told jurors. Conspiracy theories that Muslims and immigrants are carrying out a 'great replacement' of white people in Western nations have become increasingly widespread on the right in recent years. That conspiracy often involves an anti-Semitic angle, portraying Jews as supporters of pro-immigration policies meant to weaken Western nations from the inside. All three men were convicted of planning an act of terrorism and multiple firearms offences. They were found guilty of two counts of collecting information that could be useful to someone preparing a terrorist act, and Ringrose was additionally charged with manufacturing a component for a 3D-printed FGC9 firearm. Prosecutors said the group was preparing for an act of terrorism when they were arrested in February 2024. Their trial began in March. '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,' Dunkerley said.
