Three neo-Nazi extremists who amassed an arsenal of more than 200 weapons and were planning terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues in England have been jailed for between eight and 11 years. Christopher Ringrose, 35, Marco Pitzettu, 26, and Brogan Stewart, 25, communicated online and formed a group with “like-minded extremists” who wanted to “go to war for their chosen cause”, a jury heard.
A nine-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court heard how the trio idolised Hitler and the Nazis, used racist slurs, glorified mass murderers and encouraged violence against anyone deemed an enemy. The three men, who were not believed to have met in person until they appeared together in the dock, were arrested when security services believed an attack was imminent. It came after undercover officers infiltrated their online group.
On Friday, Ms Justice Cutts jailed Stewart for 11 years, Ringrose for 10 years and Pitzettu for eight years. She said she believed all three men continued to adhere to their extreme rightwing ideology. The prosecutor, Jonathan Sandiford KC, said the three defendants were “followers of an extreme rightwing Nazi ideology” who “justified, encouraged and glorified serious violence against and killing of persons of other races”.
The trial heard that the arsenal included machetes, hunting knives, swords, axes, crossbows, body armour, a stun gun and a baseball bat. Ringrose had also 3D-printed most of the components of a semi-automatic firearm at the time of his arrest and was trying to obtain the remaining parts. The men, believing a race war was imminent, discussed targets for harassment and attacks, including mosques, Islamic education centres and synagogues.
Stewart styled himself as the “Führer” and laid down uniform rules for members to be dressed in Nazi-style clothing. He called the group Einsatz 14, referencing Nazi paramilitary death squads, and appointed Pitzettu and Ringrose as “armourers”. An undercover officer called Blackheart was appointed as the “Obergruppenführer” in the group.
After the sentencing, DCS James Dunkerley said: “Stewart, Pitzettu and Ringrose have rightfully been convicted of multiple terrorism offences, and I welcome their sentence today. They were a group that espoused vile racist views and advocated for violence, all to support their extreme rightwing mindset.”
