White supremacist 'plotted terror attack' in city

A white supremacist who "idolised Hitler" planned to carry out a terrorist attack at the Lord Mayor of London's residence, a court heard.

Alfie Coleman is accused of buying a pistol and 188 rounds of ammunition with a dream of "sparking a race war" in September 2023.

But he was snared by undercover police officers and MI5 in a "highly sophisticated operation" in a supermarket car park, after paying £3,500 in exchange for what he thought was the weapons, the Old Bailey was told.

The 21-year-old, from Great Notley in Essex, admits possessing a firearm, ammunition and 10 offences of having a document useful to terrorism, but denies preparing an attack.

The court was told Mr Coleman was inspired by Thomas Mair, who murdered the MP Jo Cox in 2016, and penned a manifesto "seething with hatred" and several detailed notes planning different terrorist scenarios.

He was arrested by armed police after the supermarket snare in Stratford, east London, on 23 September 2023.

Nicholas de la Poer KC, prosecuting, described Mr Coleman as an "aspiring assassin" who bought knives online and researched the "most advanced weapons used by terrorists".

He alleged his manifesto ended with the line: "Someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world and I guess that has to be me."

At one point during the prosecution's opening, a member of the jury cried out "brainwasher" when they were read documents Mr Coleman allegedly downloaded.

Then aged 19, Mr Coleman was caught after purchasing a Makarov pistol, five magazines and 188 rounds of ammunition from an undercover police officer, Mr de la Poer said.

The stash had been left inside a Land Rover at a Morrisons supermarket in Stratford, jurors heard, and Mr Coleman paid £3,500 in cash for it.

But it was a snare that led to Mr Coleman being arrested by armed police less than 30 yards (90ft) from the car at 11:20 BST.

Raids at his home address in Tailors Close led to police finding knives and a rock with a Swastika on it, Mr de la Poer said.

Mr de la Poer continued: "Mr Coleman believed in an extreme right-wing ideology which included idolising the likes of Thomas Mair, who murdered the MP, Jo Cox."

The defendant "believed in the supremacy of white people and neo-Nazism", the prosecutor added, saying he "idolised Hitler" and denied the Holocaust.

Jurors were told Mr Coleman's arrest followed years of research and discourse online that had been "driven by hatred".

"At the heart of it, is the claim that white people are superior to everyone else," Mr de la Poer said.

He started his journey to become a "military accelerationist" by downloading a document to his mobile phone, the prosecutor told jurors.

Mr Coleman has admitted also having nine other texts including The Anarchist Cookbook, the White Resistance Manual and the Terrorist Explosives Handbook.

A manifesto he wrote on his phone was called "roofmanifesto", named after Dylann Roof, who went on a shooting rampage at a church in South Carolina in 2015, jurors heard.

Mr de la Poer said it read: "Find and execute the enemies of our race wherever they manifest themselves, no matter the age or gender."

Another note called "you can't see me" plotted the hijack of a plane, and in June 2022, the prosecutor said, he allegedly wrote a note for a terrorist attack, identifying his initial target as the "Mayor of London house" - but including the postcode of the Lord Mayor of London.

One note, entitled "collapse", made reference to putting an explosive in a cash machine and listed weapons including knives and crossbows, jurors heard.

The court was told during this period, Mr Coleman also wrote racist comments about a Tesco colleague in Great Notley, calling her a "race traitor".

"However he presented to the outside world when at work, Mr Coleman was seething with hatred on the inside," Mr de la Poer said.

Referring to murdered Batley and Spen MP Cox in a Telegram chat online, Mr Coleman allegedly said: "Everyone bleeds no matter who you are".

The court heard he had been sharing extreme right-wing views with undercover police and MI5 agents online, and they began investigating him before setting up the snare.

He allegedly told one MI5 officer: "I don't follow the words of anyone except Adolf Hitler".

Mr de la Poer said since his arrest, Mr Coleman was said to have written in his prison cell: "Despite my imprisonment I will continue fighting for my people and the truth."

The trial, expected to last four weeks, continues.

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