A 15-year-old schoolboy, described as "filled with hate and racism," amassed an arsenal of weapons and plotted a far-right terrorist attack on a synagogue, a court has been told.
The teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, is on trial at Leeds Crown Court accused of preparing acts of terrorism. Prosecutors allege he was motivated by a desire to start a race war and idolised white supremacist mass murderers.
An Arsenal of Hate
When police raided the remote Northumberland cottage he shared with his father on 20 February 2025, they discovered a disturbing collection. His bedroom was adorned with white supremacist flags, and he had stockpiled knives, crossbows, shotgun components, and nails intended for use in a bomb.
"In short they found an arsenal, one worthy of any young right-wing terrorist," prosecuting barrister Michelle Heeley KC told the jury.
The court heard the boy had also plastered recruitment stickers for the proscribed far-right terror group 'The Base' around his village. The stickers read: "The Base - learn train, fight. Survivalism and self-defence network."
Idolising Extremists and Concrete Plans
A diary kept by the boy revealed his extremist ideology. Shortly after turning 13 in January 2023, he ranked white supremacist killers, placing Anders Breivik – who murdered 77 people in Norway in 2011 – at the top. He wrote Breivik was "ultimately the best" because "he killed the most amount of people to get his point across."
By May 2023, he was sketching plans for bombs and weapons, annotating them with swastikas. His plans became "more concrete" by 14 August 2023, when he wrote of not wanting to survive an attack, aiming to "inspire others" and "start a race war."
His activities escalated from research to action. He purchased a crossbow, experimented with making weapons, and shared images of his knife collection and military memorabilia, including body armour and a Nazi officer's cap.
Targeting a Place of Worship
Prosecutors detailed how the boy's focus turned to a specific target. On 29 December 2024, he researched Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings.
"Immediately after researching a man who had attacked a place of worship, this defendant researched local synagogues," Ms Heeley said. This included the Newcastle Reform Synagogue.
In the preceding weeks, his online activity intensified. On Christmas Eve 2024, he watched videos of school shootings and a mass stabbing in Turkey "instead of Christmas films." He also purchased potassium nitrate powder and searched for instructions on making firearms and explosives.
By February 2025, he was discussing targeting electrical substations and sent a video suggesting he had successfully made explosives.
"This was a young man obsessed with white power and he collected information to help him carry out his plans for an attack," Ms Heeley stated. "Had the police not got there in time who knows what he may have done."
The teenager denies all charges, which include:
- Preparing acts of terrorism.
- Membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation (The Base).
- Possession of terrorist documents.
- Dissemination of terrorist documents.
The trial at Leeds Crown Court continues.
