A 15-year-old boy stood accused of plotting terrorist attacks, including on a synagogue, while dressed in his school uniform, a court has heard. The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, allegedly joined the proscribed far-right terror group 'The Base' and planned acts of violence.
Bedroom Adorned with White Supremacist Symbols
Leeds Crown Court heard that on 20 February last year, officers from Counter Terror Policing North East raided the home the boy shared with his father in a Northumberland village. Inside his bedroom, they discovered it was adorned with white supremacist flags.
Detective Sergeant Jonathan Garrad, who participated in the raid, described finding a Nazi-style cap and a full-sized skeleton in the room. The search also uncovered a collection of potential weapons, including knives, crossbows, and nails intended for use in a bomb.
DS Garrad stated that upon arrest, the teenager "put his head in his hands, bent over and shook his head." When asked by defence barrister Frida Hussain KC if the boy seemed "shocked and helpless," the officer confirmed that was reflected in his statement.
Diary Entries Reveal Hatred and Plans for Violence
The jury was presented with a series of disturbing diary entries written by the boy, starting when he was just 13 years old in January 2023. In them, he expressed intense hatred for his school and fellow pupils.
"I swear to God I just hate my f***ing school," he wrote. "I want to do horrible things to the people in my school. Some of them should be shot."
On the same page, he ranked mass murderers, placing neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011, at the top of his list. The boy described Breivik as "ultimately the best... he killed the most amount of people to get his point across."
In another entry dated 5 February, he wrote: "They are the reason I am going to try and kill as many people I can... One day I swear I will take my revenge on all of you f***ers."
Alleged Links to Banned Terror Group 'The Base'
The court heard that the teenager is accused of membership in 'The Base', a proscribed terrorist organisation. Prosecutors stated the group actively encourages its followers to commit acts of violence with the aim of igniting a race war.
The boy faces multiple charges, which he denies. These include:
- Preparing acts of terrorism.
- Membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation.
- Possession of terrorist documents.
- Dissemination of terrorist documents.
The trial at Leeds Crown Court continues.
