Essex neo-Nazi Alfie Coleman jailed for 13 years for planning mass gun attack

Neo-Nazi Alfie Coleman was sentenced to 13.5 years in prison.

Coleman, 22, was caught planning a mass shooting. He was set up by MI5 in an undercover operation.

He was found guilty of preparation for terrorist acts at a retrial at the Old Bailey.

The court previously heard that Coleman was 14 when he first started scanning the internet for far-right material.

These included a neo-Nazi text he downloaded to his iPad.

On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison at the Old Bailey, with a further five years on extended licence.

Judge Richard Marks KC said Coleman should be regarded as a “dangerous criminal” and described the Essex man’s views as “grossly racist”.

The judge said Coleman claimed his views were “nothing more than intrusive thoughts” and “do not reflect reality”. [he] “I believed in real life.”

The judge said Coleman also claimed he did not intend to carry out an attack.

While the judge was making these statements, the 22-year-old burst into tears and wiped his eyes with a tissue.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of London Counter Terrorism Police, said after sentencing: “It is extremely worrying that such a young man is planning to kill innocent members of the public as part of a far-right terror plot.

“But thankfully the Counter Terrorism Police, working with our colleagues at MI5, were able to intervene and arrest him before he harmed anyone and I have little doubt that the fantastic work of everyone involved prevented what could have been a real tragedy.

“What is particularly worrying is that Coleman was radicalized online when he was just 14 years old, and unfortunately we are seeing more and more young people and children being drawn into violent extremism and terrorism in this way.

“So I would advise parents and carers to be aware of what your children are doing online. Although it can be difficult, it is vital that you talk to them and if you still have concerns then Act Early and reach out so they can be directed down a different path before it is too late.”

The jury at Coleman’s trial heard he wrote a “manifesto” in a diary and identified potential targets including the Mayor of London and a mosque.

The former part-time Tesco worker went on to compile a list of colleagues and customers whom he had branded with racial slurs or “race traitors”.

He was caught trying to buy a gun when undercover police officers from MI5 engaged him in a coded conversation.

Authorities first became interested in the summer of 2023 when Coleman, from Great Notley in Essex, became increasingly active in far-right groups online.

Coleman, then 19, arranged with an undercover police officer to buy a Makarov pistol, five magazines and 200 bullets from a Morrisons car park in Stratford, east London, on the morning of September 29, 2023.

Jurors watched dramatic video of Coleman dropping £3,500 in a Land Rover Discovery and retrieving the bag containing the gun and ammunition from the boot.

Before he had gone 30 metres, Coleman, who was carrying his Tesco employee card, was confronted by armed counter-terrorism police and forced to the ground.

A search of the home he shared with his parents and brother revealed the extent of Coleman’s murderous ideology, including idolizing Thomas Mair, the extremist who killed MP Jo Cox.

Police found savings worth £2,500 in his bedside table drawer and a device to detect bugs and hidden cameras; a rock with a Swastika on the table; a Black Sun flag on the wall, associated with neo-Nazism; and various far-right books.

Giving evidence, Coleman told how he had been isolated and suffering for his mental health during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Coleman admitted trying to possess both a firearm and ammunition but denied preparing for a terrorist attack.

He admitted to the charge that he possessed 10 documents containing information that could be useful to terrorists, such as weapons-related texts and bomb-making instructions.