Man who hailed Christchurch killer guilty of terrorism offences

A trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard Edward Griffiths called a terrorist who killed 51 people a "hero"

A man who hailed a white supremacist who killed 51 people at two mosques as a "hero" has been found guilty of terror offences.

Edward Griffiths sent footage to people of the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attacks in New Zealand, saying he would "love" to do the same.

Griffiths also said he would "like" to go on a killing spree, describing potential victims and weapons.

He was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court.

The 44-year-old, from Hermitage Road, Whitwick, Leicestershire, was found guilty of encouraging terrorism and two counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication on Wednesday.

He will be sentenced on 7 June.

The attack on Muslim worshippers in Christchurch was the worst mass shooting in New Zealand's history

Leicestershire Police said the case against Griffiths did not allege that he was planning any specific attack, but that he had an "extreme mindset" and was "reckless about whether his actions would encourage others to commit terrorist acts".

After committing the offences between November 2021 and June 2022, counter-terrorism officers arrested Griffiths during a raid of his home.

The force said Griffiths admitted being behind a number of social media profiles, but mostly answered "no comment" in interview.

He later said sending video around was wrong, that he had shared it with a few close friends and that he had been going through a bad time in his life during the Covid pandemic.

Det Insp Glynn Jehu, from Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands, said: "Fifty-one people lost their lives in the Christchurch attacks.

"Spreading messages of extreme hate and violence in the way that Griffiths did is dangerous, reckless and could easily have encouraged others to commit an act of terrorism."

Brenton Tarrant, the gunman who shot and killed worshippers in the attacks, pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism in 2020.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the maximum available sentence in New Zealand.