Warwickshire teenager 'adopted Nazi ideology and thought race war was coming'

A teenager facing a terror charge searched the internet for information about firearms and adopted the “twisted ideology” of Nazis and white supremacists, a court has been told.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to preparation of terrorist acts between April and September 2019.

Birmingham Crown Court heard how the Rugby, Warwickshire, resident praised the Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant and “became radicalised so he fully believed in extreme right-wing ideology”.

“That is the twisted ideology of Nazis and white supremacy,” prosecutor Matthew Brook said.

“He came to believe an ideology which thinks a race war is coming – an ideology which believes its followers should bring about a race war, should accelerate its start, so that the white race can become supreme.

“He came to believe in an ideology which praises terrorists who carry out mass shootings, like the Christchurch shootings in New Zealand, and called the perpetrators of such terrorist massacres ‘saints’.”

He alleged that the boy had researched converting a blank-firing gun into a live weapon, offered advice to members of extreme-right chat groups and searched the internet for information about firearms.

Jurors were told the defendant had a recording of the Christchurch, New Zealand terror attack, in which 51 people were shot dead. The gunman carried a camera with him to record and stream the shootings.

The first day of the retrial – the previous hearing was aborted when the coronavirus lockdown was implemented – heard the teenager had exchanged messages online in extreme-right chat groups.

In one series of messages, the defendant said he was an administrator for a group named League of Nationalists, which was “probably” not going anywhere, but added: “Whatever happens I’m going to have a local unit. I’m working on the propaganda and the weapons. I need men.”

Jurors were told the retrial may last up to six weeks.

The trial continues.