A group of individuals associated with Nazi ideology has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for planning a terrorist attack on a mosque, after being found in possession of various weapons, including a 3D-printed assault rifle. The trio, identified as Brogan Stewart, Marco Pitzettu, and Christopher Ringrose, were part of an online group that glorified Nazis and had amassed a collection of 200 weapons such as crossbows, axes, machetes, swords, knuckle dusters, and hunting knives in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire. Additionally, law enforcement discovered an almost complete FGC-9 Mk II printed assault rifle.
The group, who communicated through Facebook, was believed to be close to executing a racially motivated assault in Leeds. Their plan involved organizing a training session in Derbyshire woods and attacking the al-Amin Islamic Educational Centre. Authorities intervened when they suspected the group was progressing with the scheme using firearms, explosives, and bladed instruments.
Counter terrorism officials began monitoring the men, who had never met face-to-face, after infiltrating their online network. During a raid on their residences in February the previous year, officers uncovered plans to target mosques, Islamic centers, and synagogues. The group expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler, propagated far-right content from Tommy Robinson, and discussed assaulting migrant facilities. Stewart, the ringleader residing in Tingley, West Yorkshire, coordinated the activities, while Pitzettu and Ringrose were designated as “engineers,” responsible for acquiring protective gear and supplies.
Pitzettu, a mobile mechanic in Derby, was found in possession of an illegal stun gun, and Ringrose, a married father-of-two and car factory worker from Cannock, was identified as the individual behind the production of the 3D firearm. Following a trial earlier in the year, all three were convicted of preparing terrorist acts and collecting information relevant to terrorism. Ringrose faced an additional charge of manufacturing a restricted weapon at Sheffield Crown Court.
Det Chief Supt James Dunkerley of Counter Terrorism Policing North East expressed concerns about the group’s extremist ideologies and violent inclinations, emphasizing that their actions could have led to a catastrophic event if left unchecked.