A neo-Nazi teenager who expressed a desire to “kill all Jews and Muslims” in pursuit of a white-only Britain attempted to behead a barber with an axe, a court has heard.
The Attack
Alina Burns, 19, attacked Mohammed Mahmoodi, 27, with the weapon as he stood outside the shop in Bedminster, Bristol, in August last year. The court was told that Burns had been motivated by neo-Nazi extremism and had been in contact with far-right groups.
Serena Gates KC, prosecuting, informed Bristol Crown Court that the defendant possessed an extreme right-wing mindset and wanted Jews and Muslims killed, and non-whites to flee or be expelled from the UK. The day before the attack, Burns watched videos of SS marches and sent an email titled “The dawn of civil war”.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of August 2 when Burns approached Kurdish barber Mr Mahmoodi from behind and swung the axe – purchased specifically for the attack – at his neck, causing a small wound. Mr Mahmoodi, who was considerably larger than the 5ft 2in Burns, managed to wrestle the axe away before she could strike again. A nearby police officer heard the commotion and arrested Burns at the scene.
Motivation and Extremist Links
When asked why she attacked the Kurdish-Iranian man, Burns told the officer: “Because I wanted to cut his neck. I would do it again, but to succeed.” She later told a Mental Health Act assessor that she knew Mr Mahmoodi worked in the barbershop, which she claimed was involved in money laundering. “I know of him, he works in the Turkish barbers, I think they are money laundering and the police aren’t doing anything about it. So, if I done this, then maybe the police would investigate the shop,” she said.
Miss Gates added: “She further asked if it had been on the news yet. She said she wanted to influence people to do the same thing, but be successful. She stated she would do it again, but to succeed.”
After her arrest, police uncovered Burns’ links to far-right groups and extremism. Five months before the attack, she used an online dating app to tell a man: “I am the embodiment of hell and desire to amplify everything I bear witness too. I don’t want to end my life any more. I plan on bringing change to the UK through means I can’t detail.” She later instructed him to “kill all the Jews and Muslims in Britain please”. The man reported the exchange to the police.
At her home, detectives found handwritten notes about the “spread of Islam”, how to use fertiliser to manufacture explosives, and nuclear weapons. There were also notes about German SS units in the Second World War, Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, and the nationalist novel The Turner Diaries. On her notebook computer was a copy of a terrorist handbook with information about chemicals and IEDs. Burns had also contacted a representative of the British far-right group Patriotic Alternative via the Telegram messaging app.
Legal Proceedings
At a previous hearing, Burns, of Lynton Road, Bristol, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and three charges of having an article with a blade or point – specifically an axe, a scalpel, and two darts. She denied a charge of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to the Terrorism Act, which was ordered to lie on file. The Crown argued that despite the plea, there remained a terrorist motivation to the attack, which was accepted by the judge, Mrs Justice Lambert. The sentencing hearing continues.
