A white supremacist who “admired Hitler” was implicated in a plot to execute a terrorist attack at the residence of the Lord Mayor of London, as revealed in court proceedings.
Alfie Coleman is alleged to have purchased a handgun and 188 rounds of ammunition with aspirations of “igniting a race war” in September 2023.
However, he was apprehended by undercover police and MI5 during a “highly advanced operation” in a supermarket parking lot after he exchanged £3,500 for what he believed were firearms, according to the Old Bailey’s records.
The 21-year-old, hailing from Great Notley in Essex, acknowledged possession of a firearm, ammunition, and ten counts of possessing documents beneficial to terrorism, yet refuted any allegations of plotting an attack.
The court learned that Mr. Coleman drew inspiration from Thomas Mair, the individual responsible for the 2016 murder of MP Jo Cox, composing a manifesto and several detailed notes outlining various terrorist strategies and filled with rage.
He was taken into custody by armed officers following the supermarket operation in Stratford, east London, on September 23, 2023.
Prosecutor Nicholas de la Poer KC characterized Mr. Coleman as an “emerging assassin” who procured knives online and studied the “most sophisticated weapons utilized by terrorists.”
It was proposed that his manifesto concluded with the assertion: “Someone must have the courage to take it to the real world and I suppose that falls to me.”
During the prosecution’s opening statements, a juror shouted “brainwasher” upon hearing about documents purportedly downloaded by Mr. Coleman.
At 19 years old, Mr. Coleman was apprehended after buying a Makarov pistol, five magazines, and 188 rounds of ammunition from an undercover officer, as stated by Mr. de la Poer.
The weaponry had been hidden in a Land Rover parked at a Morrisons supermarket in Stratford, with Mr. Coleman allegedly paying £3,500 in cash for it.
His arrest occurred when armed police captured him less than 30 yards (90 feet) from the vehicle at 11:20 BST.
Mr. de la Poer further remarked: “Mr. Coleman adhered to an extreme right-wing belief system that included adoration for figures like Thomas Mair, who killed MP Jo Cox.”
The defendant “believed in the superiority of white individuals and neo-Nazi ideologies,” the prosecutor continued, asserting that he “idolized Hitler” and rejected the reality of the Holocaust.
Jurors were informed that Mr. Coleman’s arrest came after years spent engaging in online research and discourse fueled by “hatred.”
“At its core lies the assertion of white supremacy over others,” Mr. de la Poer declared.
He initiated his path to becoming a “military accelerationist” by downloading an extremist document onto his mobile device, the prosecutor explained to the jurors.
Mr. Coleman also acknowledged possessing nine additional texts, including The Anarchist Cookbook, the White Resistance Manual, and the Terrorist Explosives Handbook.
He had written a manifesto on his phone titled “roofmanifesto,” referencing Dylann Roof, who committed a mass shooting at a church in South Carolina in 2015, as jurors were informed.
According to Mr. de la Poer, the document stated: “Find and execute the enemies of our race wherever they appear, regardless of age or gender.”
Another note, titled “you can’t see me,” detailed plans to hijack an aircraft. In June 2022, the prosecutor stated he allegedly crafted a note for a terrorist attack, identifying his primary target as the “Mayor of London house,” complete with the postcode.
One note, referred to as “collapse,” discussed placing an explosive in an ATM and listed various weapons, including knives and crossbows, as jurors heard.
During this timeframe, Mr. Coleman also made racist remarks about a colleague at Tesco in Great Notley, labeling her a “race traitor.”
“Regardless of how he projected himself to his colleagues, Mr. Coleman was boiling with hatred internally,” Mr. de la Poer remarked.
In a Telegram chat referencing the murdered MP Jo Cox, Mr. Coleman allegedly stated: “Everyone bleeds no matter who you are.”
The court heard that he had been disseminating extreme right-wing ideologies to undercover officers and MI5 agents online, prompting them to launch an investigation leading to the operation that ensnared him.
He purportedly informed one MI5 agent: “I don’t heed anyone’s words except for Adolf Hitler’s.”
The trial, anticipated to span four weeks, is ongoing.