Neo-Nazi, 17, ‘wanted gun to kick-start a race war’

A teenager obsessed with the ‘twisted ideology’ of Nazis and white supremacists researched how to convert imitation firearms into live weapons in preparation for a terror attack, a court heard.

The boy, now 17 – who cannot be named – considered extremists who carried out mass shootings to be ‘saints’, jurors were told. 

He is said to have been a member of the neo-Nazi organisation the Feuerkrieg Division and to have used extreme Right-wing online forums to share information on weapon-making.

Matthew Brook, prosecuting, said the teenager, from Rugby, Warwickshire, had an interest in mass shootings and planned to buy a blank firing gun and convert it for live ammunition to provoke an impending ‘race war’.

The trial was opened at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday. 

Mr Brook said the boy had become radicalised so he ‘fully believed in extreme Right-wing ideology, the twisted ideology of Nazis and white supremacy’.

‘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 added.

The teenager was said to have had a copy of a document called the Great Replacement, written by Brenton Tarrant before he shot dead 51 Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March lsat year. 

Alleging that the boy had researched how to convert a blank-firing gun into a live weapon, and had offered advice to members of extreme-right chat groups, Mr Brook added: ‘The evidence will show that he searched the internet for information on firearms.

‘Having found that information, he did not keep it to himself but shared information.

‘The evidence will show that he searched for information about where to buy a blank-firing gun – which he discussed converting to a real live-firing gun with others.’

Jurors were shown censored footage of the Christchurch terror attack in which 51 people were shot dead, after being told the defendant had a recording of the killings on his phone, containing ‘graphic detail’.

Mr Brook told the court: ‘When (Christchurch attacker) Brenton Tarrant carried out his terrorist attack, he had a camera with him which was recording what was happening and streaming it on to the internet.

‘A copy of that recording was found on the defendant’s telephone.’

The boy has pleaded not guilty to preparation of terrorist acts between April and September 2019.

The trial, which is expected to last six weeks, continues.