Right-Wing Extremism on the Rise: Three Men Sentenced for Preparing Acts of Terrorism in Northern England

A growing threat from right-wing extremism has been highlighted by the sentencing of three men in northern England who were found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism. Brogan Stewart, a 24-year-old neo-Nazi, and his co-conspirators, Christopher Ringrose and Marco Pitzettu, were sentenced to between eight and 11 years in prison for planning attacks against migrants, mosques, and synagogues. The case has shed light on the increasing threat of domestic terrorism fueled by encrypted messaging groups and the mainstreaming of anti-migrant and anti-Muslim hatred by some politicians and on social media.

Key Takeaways:

• The case highlights a growing threat from right-wing extremism, which now accounts for around one-fifth of the counterterrorism police's workload.
• The three men, Brogan Stewart, Christopher Ringrose, and Marco Pitzettu, were sentenced to between eight and 11 years in prison for preparing acts of terrorism.
• The men initially met through a Facebook group for preppers and later joined an explicitly neo-Nazi group on Telegram, where they discussed their hatred for Muslims, Jews, nonwhites, and immigrants.
• The group brainstormed various targets, including an Islamic education center in Leeds, a synagogue in Manchester, and "migrant activities."
• The men stockpiled over 200 weapons, including swords, knives, crossbows, air guns, axes, and bats.
• Christopher Ringrose had 3D-printed part of a homemade assault rifle, while Marco Pitzettu offered his knowledge as a self-described prepper and access to a location filled with weaponry.
• The case illustrates how domestic terrorism is increasingly fomented in encrypted messaging groups by small clusters of people, rather than by larger organized groups.
• Hannah Rose, a senior researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, notes that the case occurred during a period of "extraordinary mainstreaming" of anti-migrant and anti-Muslim hatred by some politicians and on social media.

Statistics:

• Around one-fifth of the counterterrorism police's workload is dedicated to investigating right-wing extremism.
• Over 200 weapons were found in the possession of the three men.
• Christopher Ringrose had 3D-printed part of a homemade assault rifle.
• The men were convicted of preparing acts of terrorism, with sentences ranging from eight to 11 years in prison.

Sources:

• "Three sentenced over neo-Nazi plot" by Jon Henley and Harriet Sherwood, published in The Guardian on [undated].
• Ken McCallum, head of MI5, speech published in [undated] (exact date not provided).
• Hannah Rose, senior researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, interview published in [undated] (exact date not provided).
• Counter Terrorism Policing North East, photographs published in [undated] (exact date not provided).
• This article, published in [undated] (exact date not provided).