Three Nazi fanatics who accumulated 200 firearms and spoke of attacking synagogues and mosques in England were found guilty of organising a terrorist assault.
A 3D-printed gun that was nearly ready to shoot was among the weapons haul. An undercover cop entered the self-styled Nazi cell and prevented the intended attack. The three males, who had never met, were Brogan Stewart, 25, from West Yorkshire; Marco Pitzettu, 25, from Derby; and Christopher Ringrose, 34, from Cannock. They created a virtual cell.
They considered assaulting locations that house migrants to Britain, exchanged content from far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and praised Adolf Hitler and his anti-immigrant sentiments.
At Sheffield Crown Court, a jury found them guilty of many terrorist and gun offences, and the judge forewarned them that they would likely get significant prison terms. Among their weapons were hunting-style knives, crossbows, a tomahawk, and disabled firearms that they were attempting to revive.
With just a firing pin, bolt, and barrel, the 3D gun could be transformed into a deadly weapon. It was constructed using online instructions. They decided to assault an Islamic centre in Leeds and talked about how they would kidnap and torture an imam, as well as how they would get away and avoid being discovered.
Stewart declared himself the “Fuhrer,” or leader and established uniform guidelines requiring members to dress in Nazi garb. Referencing Nazi paramilitary killing squads, he dubbed the outfit Einsatz 14 and designated Pitzettu and Ringrose as “armourers.”
Members of the gang, who support a race war, criticised other far-right extremist organisations for doing little.
Stewart said that other far-right organisations just “sit around and talk” on the Telegram messaging platform. He wrote, “Action speaks louder than words, so I want to organise my own group.”
“I want to storm the government buildings and hang the politicians,” Stewart said, adding, “and I would love to beat faggots up too.” There are many Jews and other adversaries in the administration.
After an undercover investigator named Blackheart infiltrated the organisation, the guys were taken into custody on February 20, 2024. Mosques, Islamic educational institutions, and synagogues were among the targets they had identified for harassment and violence.
Pitzettu, a mechanic, tweeted images of the Christchurch mosque slaughter, while Ringrose, a manager at a vehicle parts supplier, published a picture of his one-year-old kid wearing a skull mask along with the words “choose violence.”
The self-appointed leader, Stewart, lived with his mother and had never held a job. Two weeks before their arrest, on February 5, Stewart outlined their assault strategy in a group phone conversation. They would “cruise around” in search of “human targets” close to an Islamic education centre, “do whatever we do, then back at mine for tea and medals and a debrief.”
The members should “hang out, bring ourselves closer together, and just cement that brotherhood,” according to Stewart. However, due to inclement weather, the meeting was canceled. “The defendants had identified potential locations and targets, and it was the imminent threat of an attack that led to the defendants being arrested,” prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC stated at the beginning of the trial.
“I personally have been inspired by the SS,” Stewart told the court, referring to the group’s philosophy. He further stated, “I hope that we can extort political rivals and possibly plan operations to meet migrants landing on our beaches and deal with them.”
“They were a group that espoused vile racist views and advocated for violence, all to support their extreme rightwing mindset,” stated DCI James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East. To plot and become ready to assault defenceless civilians, all three of them conducted practical actions.
The director of the counterterrorism branch of the Crown Prosecution Service, Bethan David, stated: “These extremists were planning violent acts of terrorism against mosques, synagogues, and an Islamic education center.” They acknowledge that they were influenced by racist ideology and SS practices.
“The 3D-printed semi-automatic firearm that Christopher Ringrose began to build could have been used with disastrous results if he had been able to finish it.”
