A former pupil of the Brit School has been jailed after police found 'horrific' materials on his phone, including guides on how to commit lone wolf attacks. Declan Candiani, 26, from Streatham, south London, was arrested by counter-terrorism officers at Stansted Airport in August 2024 as he prepared to fly to Finland with his girlfriend.
A search of his devices revealed terror-related documents and manifestos of mass killers. At his home, officers also discovered a German imperial flag and a ram's skull. In police interview, Candiani claimed he had made a 'pact with the devil' and had a 'possessed mindset', describing himself as a 'minion'. He admitted an unhealthy obsession with the satanist group Order of Nine Angles.
During his trial at the Old Bailey, the former drama student said he saw a 'red-horned devil' in his bedroom that ordered him to worship it. He also had the number '88' – a Nazi code for 'heil Hitler' – tattooed on his chest. Candiani insisted he had no interest in carrying out attacks, suggesting he downloaded the material inadvertently.
A jury found him guilty of two counts of collecting information likely to be of use to a terrorist. He was sentenced to 23 months in prison and a further year on licence, followed by ten years of notification requirements. Commander Dominic Murphy of Counter Terrorism Policing London praised the use of schedule 7 powers at ports and borders in identifying potential terrorist activity.
