Three individuals affiliated with a Nazi group have been sentenced to 29 years in prison for scheming a terrorist attack on a mosque. Brogan Stewart, Marco Pitzettu, and Christopher Ringrose were apprehended in Leeds just as they were about to carry out a racially motivated assault. The trio, part of an online extremist faction idolizing Nazis, possessed a cache of 200 weapons, including crossbows, axes, machetes, swords, knuckle dusters, and hunting knives, discovered in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire properties. Additionally, an almost completed FGC-9 Mk II 3D-printed assault rifle was uncovered during the investigation.
The group was in the process of acquiring components to finalize the weapon, having connected through social media platform Facebook with intentions of inciting a race war. Their plans included training sessions in Derbyshire woods to prepare for the assault on the al-Amin Islamic Educational Centre in Leeds. Law enforcement intervened when they suspected the group was progressing with the plot involving firearms, explosives, and bladed weapons.
Despite never meeting in person, the men were placed under surveillance after counter-terrorism officers infiltrated their network. Subsequent raids on their residences revealed schemes to target mosques, Islamic centers, and synagogues. Admiring Adolf Hitler, sharing far-right content from agitators like Tommy Robinson, and discussing assaults on migrant accommodations were part of their activities. Gang leader Stewart, unemployed and residing with his mother in Tingley, West Yorks, directed the operations, while Pitzettu and Ringrose were designated as his “engineers,” responsible for procuring gear such as body armor, gas masks, riot gear, and provisions.
Pitzettu, a mobile mechanic residing with his family in Derby, had obtained an illegal stun gun, whereas Ringrose, a married father-of-two and car factory worker from Cannock, constructed the 3D firearm. Following a trial earlier this year, all three were convicted of preparing terrorist acts and gathering information useful for such activities. Ringrose faced an additional charge of making a prohibited weapon at Sheffield Crown Court.
Det Chief Supt James Dunkerley, leading Counter Terrorism Policing North East, emphasized the group’s abhorrent racial views and advocacy for violence. He expressed belief that without intervention, a significant global tragedy could have unfolded, underscoring the potentially catastrophic consequences of their actions.
