Neo-Nazi accused 'played guitar to mosque attacks footage'

Shootings at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 left 51 people dead

An alleged neo-Nazi made a video of himself strumming a guitar to footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, a court has heard.

When police raided the home of Dean Morrice they found materials for explosives and instructions for a 3D-printed gun.

Kingston Crown Court also heard Mr Morrice, of Paulton near Bristol, also regularly posted on far right forums.

Mr Morrice denies ten terrorism-related charges.

The court heard he had watched the entire Christchurch attack video within hours of the shootings, which were live streamed by killer Brenton Tarrant.

In his alleged video tribute to the killer, the court heard Morrice, 34, wore a skull mask against a picture of a black sun - an image used by neo-Nazis.

In the video, which he posted online, he strums the guitar in time to the gunshots.

'Encouraged killing'

Prosecutor Naomi Parsons told the jury that while it is not illegal to hold neo-Nazi views, Morrice's conduct "crossed the line into terrorism".

In a Telegram channel allegedly set up by Morrice, there was a post featuring an image of Hitler's propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, which called for every electronic device to be turned into a "Volksempfanger".

It is a reference to the cheap radio developed to ensure every household in Germany would hear Nazi political pronouncements.

The Al-Noor Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, was one of two targeted by killer Brenton Tarrant

By the time of his arrest, Morrice's channel on the messaging platform had 720 subscribers, the court heard.

Ms Parsons said: "The crown says this channel unapologetically, unambiguously, pumped out neo-Nazi propaganda, which encouraged killing of non-whites and Jewish people."

When his home was raided on 20 August 2020 police found enough carbon, potassium nitrate and sulphur in his garage to make 1.3kg of gunpowder.

They also found aluminium metal powder, iron oxide and magnesium ribbon - ingredients used in the making of the flammable material thermite.

Stored on his mobile phone, officers found a gun-making manual, a document about making explosives and a handbook on how to encrypt data.

Files found on a memory card contained files on how to create firearms on a 3D printer. Morrice had two printers in his garage.

'Sick joke'

Morrice denies two counts of having an explosive substance, three counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication and one of encouraging terrorism between 15 March 2019 and 20 August 2020.

He further denies four counts of possession of a document useful for terrorist purposes.

Morrice told police he was "apolitical" and that the Christchurch shooting video was just a "sick joke".

He said he had no intention of making a gun from his 3D printer, saying he did not think it could be done.

He claimed he had bought the chemicals police found to pursue his interest in home brewing.

The trial continues.