Neo-Nazi who planned gun attack jailed after MI5 sting

Neo-Nazi Jailed for 13.5 Years After MI5 Uncover Gun Attack Plot

Undercover Operation Led to Arrest in Stratford Car Park

Neo Nazi who planned gun attack - In September 2023, Alfie Coleman, a 22-year-old supermarket worker from Great Notley, Essex, was apprehended by MI5 agents during a covert operation. The arrest followed a sting that revealed his plan to acquire a Makarov pistol and 200 rounds of ammunition. Coleman, who had been exposed to extreme far-right ideologies since age 14, was described in court as a "militant accelerationist" with deeply rooted racist views.

The operation involved agents engaging Coleman on Telegram, where he sought to purchase a firearm. Footage from the arrest showed him dropping £3,500 in a Land Rover before retrieving a holdall containing the weapon from a Morrisons car park in Stratford. Moments later, armed counter-terrorism officers surrounded him, and he was taken into custody. During the trial, jurors viewed dramatic evidence of the incident, which solidified his conviction for preparing terrorist acts.

"Your age, immaturity, autistic spectrum disorder traits, anxiety, vulnerability, lack of previous convictions and the absence of actual physical harm caused by you all in my judgment weigh heavily against a discretionary life sentence," stated Judge Richard Marks KC.

Coleman’s arrest uncovered a "manifesto" in his diary, listing potential targets such as the Lord Mayor of London and a mosque. The document also referenced extremist mass killers like Dylann Roof, whom he called "warriors." Two days before the gun pickup, he wrote: "Something has gotta be done, how long can we sit here and talk over the internet?" He had ordered a Gerber Strongarm knife with a 4.8-inch blade around the same time.

Investigators found evidence of his radicalization in his shared home with his parents, including a bug detector, secret cameras, a swastika-embossed rock, and a black sun flag. The case highlighted his obsession with Thomas Mair, the killer of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, as a symbol of his extremist beliefs. Despite admitting to possessing a firearm and ammunition, Coleman denied intent to commit a terrorist attack, pleading guilty to holding 10 documents useful to terrorists.

Defense counsel Martin Rutherford KC emphasized Coleman’s potential, describing him as intelligent and articulate, but noted his personality had "taken a horribly wrong turn" in 2020. The court ruled he would serve two-thirds of his 13.5-year sentence, minus over 1,000 days already spent in custody. Upon release, he must remain under extended licence for five additional years and share personal data with the police for 30 years.