Alfie Coleman, a 22-year-old neo-Nazi who plotted a mass gun attack, has been jailed for 13 and a half years after being caught in an MI5 undercover sting. The former Tesco worker from Great Notley, Essex, was found guilty of preparing for terrorist acts following a retrial at the Old Bailey. Judge Richard Marks KC described him as a “dangerous offender” with “virulently racist” views.
Radicalisation and Planning
Coleman was just 14 when he began downloading extreme right-wing material, including a neo-Nazi text onto his iPad. Over the years, he penned a “manifesto” in a diary, identified potential targets such as the Lord Mayor of London and a mosque, and compiled a hate list of colleagues and customers he branded with racial slurs or “race traitors”. Authorities became concerned in summer 2023 when his activity on extreme right-wing online groups intensified.
MI5 Sting and Arrest
Undercover MI5 officers engaged with Coleman in encrypted chats as he sought to buy weapons. On September 29, 2023, then 19-year-old Coleman arranged to purchase a Makarov pistol, five magazines, and 200 rounds of ammunition in a Morrisons car park in Stratford, east London. Video footage showed him dropping £3,500 in a Land Rover Discovery and picking up a holdall containing the handgun and ammunition. Before he had gone 30 yards, armed counter-terrorism police confronted and arrested him.
Evidence of Extremism
A search of his home revealed the extent of his murderous ideology. Officers seized a rifle, a device to detect bugs and secret cameras, a rock with a Swastika, a Black Sun flag, and extreme right-wing books. They also found knives, a small stone axe, an air rifle, and a flyer about target shooting. His electronic devices showed he had emailed the far-right white supremacist organisation Patriotic Alternative in July 2021, expressing a desire to participate in activism. He wrote plans for potential attacks, including hijacking a plane and targeting the Lord Mayor’s home, involving explosives in cash machines, knives, and crossbows.
Hate List and Manifesto
In September 2022, Coleman created a list of people at work who had “upset” him, including a white female co-worker married to a man of mixed heritage. He expressed being “captivated” by an extreme right-wing book commemorating public hangings of “white race traitors”. Six days before his arrest, he posted a picture of an armed man in a balaclava with the comment “Coming soon here my man.” Two days before the weapon pickup, he wrote, “Just something has gotta be done, how long can we sit here and talk over the internet.” He also ordered a Gerber Strong Arm knife online.
Sentencing and Reactions
Judge Marks spared Coleman a life sentence, citing his age, immaturity, autism spectrum disorder traits, anxiety, vulnerability, lack of previous convictions, and the absence of actual harm. He was sentenced to 13 and a half years with an extended five-year licence period. He will serve two-thirds of the sentence, minus over 1,000 days already in custody, before parole eligibility. Commander Helen Flanagan of Counter Terrorism Policing London stated, “It is extremely concerning that such a young person was planning to murder innocent members of the public… but thankfully Counter Terrorism Policing, working with MI5, were able to intervene.” She urged parents to monitor children’s online activity due to the growing trend of youth radicalisation online.
Mitigation and Future
Mitigating, Martin Rutherford KC described Coleman as “intelligent, articulate and polite” but noted his obsessive personality took a “horribly wrong turn” during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Coleman had admitted attempting to possess a firearm and ammunition and pleaded guilty to possessing 10 terrorist documents, but denied preparing for a terrorist attack. The judge also ordered a forfeiture of items and a 30-year notification order requiring Coleman to share personal information with police.
