'Right-wing extremists' planned terrorism - trial

Christopher Ringrose, Marco Pitzettu and Brogan Stewart are on trial at Sheffield Crown Court

Three men who believed a race war was imminent were planning terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues, a trial has heard.

Christopher Ringrose, 34, from Staffordshire, Marco Pitzettu, 25, from Derbyshire, and Brogan Stewart, 25, from West Yorkshire, were "right-wing extremists" preparing to use firearms, explosives and bladed weapons in attacks, a Sheffield Crown Court jury was told on Wednesday.

They were arrested when security services believed an attack could be imminent after undercover officers infiltrated their group.

All three deny a charge of preparing acts of terrorism and charges of collecting information likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism.

Ringrose also denies manufacturing a prohibited weapon.

'Race war'

Opening the case against the men, prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC told the jury that Mr Ringrose, from Cannock, Mr Pitzettu, from Mickleover, and Mr Stewart, from Tingley, near Leeds, had acquired, or were trying to acquire, a "wide variety of weapons", including swords, knives, axes, spears and crossbows.

They had also gathered information on explosives and firearms and their preparations had included trying to make a 3D-printed semi-automatic firearm, he said.

Mr Sandiford stated: "The prosecution say these three defendants were right-wing extremists who regarded themselves as National Socialists, or Nazis."

The defendants followed a cause which embraced an admiration for Adolf Hitler, white supremacy, a "hatred towards black and other non-white races" and glorification and admiration for mass killers who had targeted black and Muslim communities, he told the court.

The men all held a "belief that there must soon be a race war between the white and other races", according to Mr Sandiford.

'Chosen cause'

The prosecutor said that at the time of their arrest in February 2024 "all three were involved in making preparations for acts of terrorism".

The defendants had formed a group in January 2024 with "like-minded extremists" who wanted to "go to war for their chosen cause", he added.

Mr Sandiford said the group included three officers working undercover and police had intervened when it became clear the defendants had identified potential targets and there was a threat of an "imminent attack".

He showed jurors a post said to have been made by Mr Stewart on a group called The National Socialist Movement of the United Kingdom on social media platform Telegram in which he was alleged to have said: "Nazis wanted what's best for the white people."

The post also contained a racist reference to then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Mr Sandiford said.

The trial continues.

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