Neo-Nazi Matthew Cronjager guilty of plotting terrorist acts

Referring to his friend, he told an undercover officer he had "found someone I want to execute"

A teenage neo-Nazi who wanted to shoot an Asian friend over boasts he slept with "white chicks" has been found guilty of plotting terrorist acts.

Matthew Cronjager, 18, of Ingatestone, Essex, tried to get hold of a 3D printed gun or a sawn-off shotgun to kill his target, the Old Bailey heard.

He shared right-wing propaganda and explosive-making manuals online.

He admitted having terrorism publications but denied other charges and was convicted by a jury.

The court heard he likened his teenage friend to a "cockroach" and set himself up as the "boss" of a right-wing terror cell.

He shared material with like-minded people he had met on the web - which included an undercover officer who had infiltrated a Telegram group called The British Hand.

'Buffet of loathing'

Cronjager, who is on the autistic spectrum, denied he ever meant to do anything and "renounced" his extremist views, saying they were borne out of loneliness and misery.

His lawyer Tim Forte told jurors that while Cronjager accepted sending "vile" messages, in reality he was nothing more than a "keyboard warrior".

"He was the outsider, he was the other," he said.

"He retreated in his own mind and that took him down the rabbit hole that is the internet.

"Children like him 30/40 years ago [who were] unhappy, alone, unwelcome, did not have the internet to lure them and ensnare them with misinformation and hatred.

"But today it is all there laid out on a platter like a buffet of loathing."

The Old Bailey heard Matthew Cronjager had "renounced" his extremist views

In November last year, Cronjager suggested setting up a collective PayPal account to buy weapons and other items for the group.

Referring to his friend, he told the undercover officer: "I've found someone I want to execute.

"I figure we could just 'find' a double barrel shotgun and saw it down for things like this."

He admitted they had been friends "for ages" but "I can just kill him like that".

Police seized a large amount of material demonstrating his commitment to an "extreme right-wing cause" when they arrested him at his home in December.

Giving evidence, he accepted he had held extreme far-right views, saying he now felt "ashamed and disgusted" by them.

Prosecutor Alistair Richardson told jurors the defendant had given "pretty close to a full admission of the offences" when faced with the "overwhelming evidence of his own messaging".

The jury found him guilty of preparing acts of terrorism, and disseminating terrorist publications on Telegram.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced in October.