Neo-Nazi who had bomb-making gear and list of mosques guilty of planning terror attacks
Self-proclaimed 'white supremacist' Connor Ward, 25, hoarded hundreds of ball bearings which could be used in pipe bombs and rocket tubes which could be used to fire projectiles.
A BRIT neo-Nazi kept a list of mosques and bomb-making equipment has been convicted of planning terror attacks.
Connor Ward, 25, hoarded hundreds of ball bearings which could be used in pipe bombs and rocket tubes which could be used to fire projectiles.
The fascist collected an arms cache which included a stun gun, hundreds of knuckle dusters, knives and metal bars.
Ward, who was previously jailed for three years in 2012 for possessing an explosive substance, also acquired a number of deactivated bullets.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how heard the ammo could have been reactivated to be used in a gun.
Horrified cops discovered the deadly weapons haul after getting a tip-off that Ward had broke strict firearms laws by buying a stun gun from abroad.
Detectives who searched Ward’s home in Banff, Aberdeenshire, also found that he had a mobile phone signal jamming device and a machine for picking up hidden bugs.
They also found he had downloaded tens of thousands of documents on firearms and survival techniques. The files also contained extreme right wing propaganda and military tactics.
Detectives also found a Google Maps style file containing the postal addresses of five Islamic places of worship in the Aberdeen area on Ward’s computer.
Ward had started to compose a book called “Combat 18 British Mosque Address Book.” Combat 18 is the name of an extreme British right-wing paramilitary group.
The court heard how in the title page of the book, Ward wrote: “This book is dedicated to all that follow Mohammed and the Islamic faith. You will all soon suffer your demise.”
Ward, a former psychiatric patient, claimed he was suffering from mental illness at the time he downloaded the documents.
He said that he acquired the files because he believed the world was going to end in 2012 and he wanted to survive the apocalypse.
Jurors today refused to believe Ward’s claims and returned verdicts of guilt to two charges of breaching the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Terrorism Act 2006.
Prosecution lawyer Richard Goddard told the court: “He was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh on October 30 2012 on a charge of contravening 1883 explosives act.
“He collected the chemical constituents of a bomb. His motivation then was to harm his father.”
Mr Goddard said the Crown wanted to submit a serious crime prevention order.
Lord Burns told Ward: “In light of the verdict of the jury and your previous convictions, I am going to call for a report on the risk you pose to members of the public.”
Mr Ward admitted in court that he was a “white supremacist” who was “definitely” anti Jewish. He also said that he was also against “Jihadi” Islam.
But he denied suggestions that he was planning a terrorist attack.
Mr Ward claimed that he was suffering from mental illness at the time he downloaded 19,000 documents about firearms and another 22,000 files on ‘survivalist’ techniques.
He told defence advocate Drew McKenzie that he did this because of his poor mental health.
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He added: “I believed the world was coming to an end on December 21 2012. I stockpiled weapons. I taught myself survival techniques.”
When Mr McKenzie asked him why he needed to learn these techniques, Ward replied: “If the end of the world was gonna come, I was gonna be a survivor - there would be other people trying to survive as well.
“We’ve all seen films about the apocalypse. Violence is rife. It would be either kill or be killed.”
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