Man jailed for threatening to burn down mosque

Sam Imrie was convicted over a terror plot to burn down a Fife mosque

A man who idolised right-wing mass killers and hated Muslims has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years for terrorist offences.

Sam Imrie was sentenced for what a judge described as the "despicable" spreading of hate.

The 24-year-old was arrested in July 2019 after he posted messages on social media saying he was planning to set fire to the Fife Islamic Centre.

Imrie was convicted on two charges of breaching the Terrorism Act.

He was also convicted of wilful fire raising, drink-driving and possessing "extreme" indecent images of children following a trial in Edinburgh in October.

• Man convicted of terrorism offences

During the police investigation, officers discovered he had been "glorifying" murderers online - including terrorist Anders Brevik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011.

They also seized an arsenal of weapons from his home in Glenrothes consisting of knives, a hammer, nunchucks, an axe and a rifle scope.

The trial heard how he had posted images and footage showing the outside of the Fife Islamic Centre to the Telegram messaging app.

Imrie then drove to an abandoned building in Thornton and filmed himself setting fire to the doorway, before posting the video and pretending it was an Islamic centre.

Sam Imrie was caught on CCTV outside the Fife Islamic Centre

The 24-year-old had earlier set fire to a headstone at a cemetery in Markinch, filming the blaze.

During Imrie's sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Mulholland told him he was "spreading hate" and encouraging others to take "terrorist action" that he had pretended to have taken himself.

"Your conduct was despicable. You have no understanding or self-awareness of the hatred that you tried to spread," the judge said.

"Many Muslims died fighting for the alliance in World War Two for the freedoms that you enjoyed.

"I hope you take advantage of your time in custody to remove the hatred from your heart."

Police believe social isolation during the pandemic may have drawn more individuals like Sam Imrie into online right wing extremism.

In Scotland, 55 people were referred to the Prevent programme between April 2020 and March 2021, a 45% reduction on the previous 12 months. That decrease is attributed to lockdown and the numbers are creeping back up.

Prevent is part of the UK government's counter terrorist strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

Referrals normally come from a wide range of sources including educational institutions, many of which were closed because of Covid restrictions.

In recent years there's been a steady rise in the number of people linked to right wing extremism in Scotland. Last year they made up 45% of cases, more than any other group or category.

Police Scotland says that after society began to reopen, the numbers directed towards Prevent started to go up again.

They believe that lockdown will have led to more socially isolated loners becoming involved in online white nationalism and white supremacy.

The numbers will be small and there is a huge leap between so-called "bedroom terrorism" and committing an actual atrocity, but the police say online extremists like Imrie could inspire someone else somewhere in the world to carry out an attack.

Anyone with concerns about an individual, even if it's a family member, is being urged to contact the authorities.

Imrie filmed himself setting fire to a headstone

Imrie was convicted of a terror charge for making statements on Telegram and Facebook which encouraged acts of terrorism.

A second charge stated Imrie made a "record of information" which would be useful to somebody who was committing acts of terrorism.

He was acquitted of a terrorism charge which stated that he engaged in conduct in "preparation" of terrorism acts.

Jennifer Harrower, procurator fiscal for specialist casework, said: "Sam Imrie's posts glorifying and encouraging acts of terrorism were wholly unacceptable.

"COPFS [Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service], along with our partner agencies, will continue to ensure those committing offences under the terrorism legislation are brought to justice."

Following the sentencing, the head of Police Scotland's organised crime and counter terrorism unit, Det Ch Supt Stuart Houston, said Imrie posed "a significant threat" to wider society.

He added: "His actions clearly could have encouraged other people with similar beliefs and intentions to carry out acts with potentially catastrophic consequences, not just in Scotland, but anywhere in the world.

"There is no place for hate crime in Scotland and that it will not be tolerated in any form by Police Scotland."