After an investigation conducted by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, a man who confessed to having extreme right-wing terrorism papers, including a manual on bomb-making, has been sent to prison for three years.
The Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command (CTC), or SO15, is a dedicated unit that conducts counter-terrorism operations, intelligence gathering, and investigations. Formed in October 2006 from the consolidation of the Anti-Terrorist Branch (SO13) and Special Branch (SO12), it unites intelligence collection and investigation roles under one command.
As part of an inquiry into indecent child images being placed on the internet, Vitor Dias’ home in Willesden was searched in May 2022. Dias was not arrested, but two mobile phones were taken from him, and police discovered extreme right-wing terrorist content on them.
Dias, 21, had tutorials for the production of explosives, weapons, and bullets on his gadgets.
He was detained on 8th September 2022 and charged in October of the next year with four offenses of having a document containing information likely to be of use to an individual committing acts of terrorism under section 58(1)(b) of the Terrorism Act 2000.
He was also charged in a concurrent inquiry with two counts of having an extreme pornographic image, one count of the making of an indecent photograph of a child category B, and one count of the making of an indecent photograph of a child category C.
Dias entered a guilty plea to the first three charges when he appeared in Willesden Magistrates’ Court on December 17, 2024. Category C will continue to exist if a youngster is depicted in an offensive manner. Last month, Dias received a three-year prison term and was placed under a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Additionally, he spent five years on the Sex Offenders Register.
The director of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, Commander Dominic Murphy, stated: “This case shows that we will arrest and prosecute anyone accessing terrorist material.”
“After Dias’s phones were confiscated, I am appreciative of the efforts of my colleagues in the Wembley Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation team who discovered his offense. The use of risk management software on the gadgets of those convicted of sexual crimes was also successfully shown in this case.
“This case shows that units from all over the Met are dedicated to protecting vulnerable victims, and the outstanding work of officers and staff will be bolstered by specialized counter-terrorism resources.”
