Nazi-Obsessed Teenager Admits Attempted Murder in Bristol Axe Attack
Alina Burns, an 18-year-old with Nazi obsessions, has pleaded guilty to attempted murder after launching a violent axe attack on an Iranian Kurd in Bristol. The incident occurred outside a barber's shop in Bedminster on August 2 last year, where Burns targeted Mohammed Mahmoodi, 27, as he was chatting with a friend.
Details of the Attack and Arrest
CCTV footage from inside the shop captured the moment Mahmoodi turned and ducked just in time as Burns swung an axe at his neck. She attempted to strike him again, but he managed to disarm her, escaping with painful scratches to his neck and cheek. Police officers on patrol nearby detained Burns immediately, finding a scalpel and several darts on her person.
When asked by the arresting officer if she had swung the axe at the man, Burns nodded and stated, "I wanted to cut his neck." Further investigation revealed an email she had written to an associate, which read, "Kill all Jews and Muslims in Britain, please." Burns, who hung an England flag above her bed, was identified as a member of the far-right group Patriotic Alternative.
Extremist Ideology and Pre-Attack Planning
Serena Gates KC, prosecuting at Bristol Crown Court, described Burns as having "a desire for a white England, achieved, if necessary, through terror." Police uncovered messages where Burns declared, "I realised my role in existence: I am the embodiment of hell, destined to annihilate everything holy I bear witness to." In another message, she referred to carrying out a "plan" and expressed a desire for "all the credit and glory."
An examination of her diary and notebooks revealed notes about Germany, Adolf Hitler, and weaponry from the World Wars. On July 30, she searched online for "what age you buy an axe UK" and "how to properly use an axe for self-defence." The following day, she looked up YouTube videos, including one about Patrick Crusius, who killed 23 people in a mass shooting at a US Walmart.
Additional searches included graphic "gore" videos, such as one depicting a fatal stabbing in the neck, and inquiries on using darts as weapons. An email to herself on the day before the attack was titled "The dawn of civil war," where she wrote, "Land is reclaimed through terror," adding that it was "better if they flee out of fear rather than displace us in our own home."
Post-Attack Assessment and Legal Proceedings
Burns, who purchased the axe from Screwfix on the day of the attack, admitted that she intended to "kill him or injure the man." During a mental health assessment, when asked how she felt about being arrested for attempted murder, she replied, "fair enough." She also stated she "would go on again but to succeed" if asked about harming others and inquired if the attack was "in the news yet?"
Burns pleaded guilty to attempted murder and three charges of carrying a bladed weapon in a public place. She denies having a terrorist motive, and the judge will rule on this issue at her sentencing in May.
