Alfie Coleman, a 22-year-old neo-Nazi from Great Notley, Essex, has been sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison with an additional five years on extended licence for plotting a mass gun attack. He was caught in an MI5 sting after seeking to buy weapons, including a Skorpion submachine gun and an AK47.
MI5 sting and arrest
Authorities became concerned in summer 2023 when Coleman grew active on extreme right-wing online groups. In early September 2023, he arranged to buy a Skorpion automatic weapon, an AK47 rifle and bullets in France, targeting a local mosque, but abandoned the plan. MI5's operation culminated in a Morrisons car park in Stratford, east London, on September 29, 2023. Coleman, then 19, arranged to buy a Makarov pistol, five magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover officer. He dropped £3,500 in a Land Rover Discovery and picked up a holdall containing the handgun and ammunition. Armed counter-terrorism police confronted him within 30 yards, forcing him to the ground.
Kill list and manifesto
Coleman created a 'kill list' of Tesco colleagues and customers he considered 'race traitors'. Among those singled out was a white female co-worker married to a man of mixed Indian and Seychellois heritage. He wrote a 'manifesto' with potential targets, including the Lord Mayor of London and a mosque. Prosecutor Nicholas De La Poer KC stated Coleman was 'seething with hatred' when creating the list in September 2022.
Sentencing and judge's remarks
Judge Richard Marks KC described Coleman as a 'dangerous offender' with 'virulently racist' views. He told Coleman: 'You maintained that much of what you had said and the virulently racist views which you expressed were no more than intrusive thoughts and did not represent what you believed in real life. It was in effect, although you did not use these words, hyperbole, bravado, fantasy, and you never had any intention to carry out an attack.' Coleman appeared tearful during the remarks.
Evidence of extremist ideology
Police searched Coleman's home, finding £2,500 in savings, a device to detect bugs and secret cameras, a rock with a Swastika, a Black Sun flag associated with neo-Nazism, and various extreme right-wing books. They also seized knives, a small stone axe, an air rifle and a flyer about target shooting. Electronic device analysis revealed he emailed far-right white supremacist organisation Patriotic Alternative in July 2021, expressing interest in activism. He wrote plans for terrorist attacks, including hijacking a plane and targeting the Lord Mayor of London's home, involving explosives in a cash machine, knives and crossbows.
Mental health claims and guilty plea
Giving evidence, Coleman described being lonely and suffering mental health issues during Covid-19 lockdowns. He admitted attempting to possess both a firearm and ammunition but denied preparing for a terrorist attack. He pleaded guilty to possessing 10 documents with information likely useful to terrorists, including texts on weaponry and bomb-making instructions.
