Latest news with #massmurder
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Teenager who plotted mass killing of Muslims 'infiltrated' mosque by pretending to be a convert
A teenager who plotted mass murder at a Scots mosque after pretending he wanted to become a Muslim was radicalised on TikTok. The now 17-year-old idolised right-wing killers such as Anders Breivik who slaughtered 77 people in Norway in 2011 and spoke online about white people being at 'war' pledging to 'die for my land'. A court heard how police intelligence allowed officers to intercept the armed youth outside the Inverclyde Muslim Centre, in Greenock. He had an airgun which he claimed would keep worshippers inside once he had set the building on fire. The boy, who can't be named for legal reasons, had been able to plan his attack by hoodwinking 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 teen also went as far as to join in with prayers in a bid to convince others of his lies. Today, he pleaded guilty to a charge under the Terrorism Act at the High Court in Glasgow. He also admitted to having been in 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' and listed a number of 'inspirations' which included Breivik, Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Irish fascist leader Eoin O'Duffy. He also created a list of dislikes which included Keir Starmer, the prophet Mohammed and Jihadi John. The youth initially had plans to carry out a terrorist attack at his school in Inverclyde and recorded himself walking through the school in which he stated he planned to 'liquidate' one of the offices. He also claimed that he would plant bombs under the tables of the school canteen and added: 'That'll be funny, watch some reactions, that'll be hilarious.' The teenager planned to attack the Inverclyde Muslim Centre last December. 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 phone app Telegram. The boy said: 'It's good to infiltrate the target be it a mosque or synagogue as they think I'm one of them because I infiltrated the place.' He claimed that he could have burned down the centre when left alone but there would have been 'zero kills'. 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. Dressed in black clothes and carrying a camouflage military rucksack, he was met by officers acting on intelligence. When asked what was in the bag, he 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. An instruction manual on how to produce weapons and explosives, called 'The Anarchist Cookbook', was also discovered. 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.
Al Jazeera
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Why are mass murderers from the Srebrenica genocide still free?
Why are mass murderers from the Srebrenica genocide still free? NewsFeed Thousands of Bosnian Serbs participated in the Srebrenica genocide in July 1995, killing more than 8,000 mostly Muslim men and boys in just three days. But only 54 people have ever been convicted. So why are so many killers walking free? Soraya Lennie has the details. Video Duration 02 minutes 14 seconds 02:14 Video Duration 03 minutes 13 seconds 03:13 Video Duration 00 minutes 49 seconds 00:49 Video Duration 00 minutes 35 seconds 00:35 Video Duration 01 minutes 09 seconds 01:09 Video Duration 00 minutes 37 seconds 00:37 Video Duration 01 minutes 47 seconds 01:47
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Shocking secret of tearful Bryan Kohberger prosecutor, Bill Thompson, whose death penalty-sparing plea deal sparked widespread fury
The prosecutor who handed Bryan Kohberger a controversial plea deal last week has never secured a death sentence for any of the killers he's convicted during his 33 years in office. Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson cried during the July 2 hearing that saved Kohberger's life, and put him in prison for life without appeals for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students. The Democrat prosecutor faced massive backlash over the deal, including from some of the victims' relatives, who said they felt cheated out of their day in court and the opportunity to see the killer face the details of his crime. He had initially indicated to the terrified Moscow community that he would seek the death penalty against Kohberger, a former Washington State University graduate student of criminology. But the plea deal is not a shock to those familiar with the 68-year-old's career - Thompson has a history of striking a deal rather than seek capital punishment for the killers he's prosecuted, as highlighted in a new report by the Idaho Statesman. The last mass murder caser Thompson prosecuted, eight years before the Kohberger case, had a similar conclusion. Thompson brokered a deal that saw John Lee, 29, admit to killing three people in 2015, including his adoptive mother, in exchange for removing the possibility of the death penalty. Similarly, in 2014, Thompson struck a deal with Silas Parks, 25, who agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter after he strangled his pregnant wife to death. In that case, Thomas did not seek the death penalty because there was not enough evidence that the killings were premeditated. Instead, Parks was sentenced to a maximum of 40 years in prison. The only death sentence obtained by Thompson was in 2000, after Dale Shackelford, 37, killed his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend and burned their bodies. However, the death sentence was later revoked by the Supreme Court and Thompson did not push to have Shackelford returned to death row. Kohberger's plea deal will be the last Thompson brokers - the veteran prosecutor, who plays guitar in a local band in his free time, is expected to retire following the case's conclusion. He was first elected as Latah County's prosecutor in 1992, which makes him the longest-serving prosecutor in Idaho, after eight re-elections. Moscow Mayor Art Bettge told the Idaho Statesman he believes Thompson only ran for office the last time so he could see the Kohberger case through, rather than inflict it on a rookie replacement. Last week, Thompson choked up as he laid out the timeline of the shocking murders of Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21. 'On November 13, 2022, excuse me...,' Thompson said, growing emotional as he reached for a sip of water and a colleague patted him on the back. Kohberger stared coldly ahead as Thompson laid out the timeline, saying that he stalked the students' home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho before the slayings. Thompson said the state would have argued in court that Kohberger slipped in through a side door before killing Mogen and Goncalves on the third floor. He said Kohberger then encountered Kernodle as she came down the stairs to pick up a Doordash order, and killed her with the same Ka-Bar knife he used on her roommates. He then entered Kernodle's bedroom and stabbed her sleeping boyfriend Chapin to death, Thompson said. As Kohberger's victims' loved ones sobbed in the courtroom, the killer showed no emotion and stared ahead. He repeatedly said the word 'yes' when asked if he'd committed the horrific killings, understood the terms of the plea deal and that it meant he could never apply for parole. Madison Mogen's father Ben Mogen hung his head and his legs shook as the judge asked Kohberger if he admitted to stabbing his daughter to death. Kaylee Goncalves' mother Kristi Goncalves, who was flanked by several family members, cried as the judge asked Kohberger if he had murdered her daughter and Kohberger replied in the affirmative. The Goncalves family previously vented their fury at Thompson after he offered Kohberger the plea deal that spared him the death penalty. They declared on Facebook that the State of Idaho 'failed us' as they hit out at prosecutors for failing to notify them that a plea deal was going through. 'We weren't even called about the plea; we received an email with a letter attached,' family members said in a statement. 'That's how Latah County's Prosecutor's Office treats murder victims' families. 'Adding insult to injury, they're rushing the plea, giving families just one day to coordinate and appear at the courthouse for a plea on July 2.' The family of Chapin — one of three triplets who attended the university together — supports the deal. Mogen's father, Ben Mogen, told CBS News he was relieved by the agreement. 'We can actually put this behind us and not have these future dates and future things that we don't want to have to be at, that we shouldn't have to be at, that have to do with this terrible person,' he said. 'We get to just think about the rest of lives and have to try and figure out how to do it without Maddie and the rest of the kids.'
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I visited the home of mushroom murderer Erin Patterson to try and find out exactly what drove her to carry out her brutal killings. These are the chilling clues I found that may finally give us the answer: GUY ADAMS
What sort of person is Erin Trudi Patterson? Why, more to the point, would this outwardly normal mother-of-two, from a small town in rural Australia, decide to brutally kill several of her nearest and supposedly dearest relatives using poisoned beef Wellington? These were the questions at the heart of the 'Mushroom Murder' trial which concluded on Monday with Patterson being found guilty of their cruel and utterly bizarre mass murder.
Reuters
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
UK inquiry seeks answers over Southport girls' murders
LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - A public inquiry into the murders of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport in Britain last year begins on Tuesday, seeking to determine whether the rampage could have been prevented and how to stop any similar atrocity. Teenager Axel Rudakubana, who was obsessed with violence and genocide, launched the knife attack at the summer vacation event in northern England last July, killing the girls and wounding another 10. The incident shocked the nation and was followed by days of nationwide rioting. Just 17 at the time of the attack, Rudakubana was jailed in January for at least 52 years after he admitted the offences just as his trial was about to start. Prosecutors said his motive was not clear and it appeared to be simply the desire to commit mass murder. After the conviction, Prime Minister Keir Starmer ordered the inquiry into state failings as it emerged in the trial that Rudakubana had been referred to a counter-radicalisation scheme three times, but no action had been taken. Rudakubana had been involved in previous troubling incidents where he had been arrested carrying a knife. He had also admitted possessing an al Qaeda training manual and producing the lethal poison ricin. "My focus throughout this inquiry will be a thorough and forensic investigation of all the circumstances surrounding the attack and the events leading up to it," the inquiry chair, Adrian Fulford, said in a statement. The inquiry will begin by looking at the teenager's history and involvement with public bodies, before a second phase examines the wider issue of children being drawn into violence, an increasing concern for British authorities. Lawyers for the three murdered girls - Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine - said they hoped it would uncover the truth. "We know that nothing the inquiry reveals, or subsequently recommends will change the unimaginable loss felt by the families of Elsie, Alice and Bebe, but we all now have a responsibility to ensure that something like this never happens again," they said in a statement.
