Neo-Nazi found guilty of planning mass gun attack after MI5 undercover sting

The supermarket worker from Great Notley, Essex, was arrested after a sting carried out by MI5 in a Morrisons' car park.

Having begun seeking out extreme far-right content online from the age of 14, Coleman came onto the security services' radar in the summer of 2023 when he became increasingly active within online circles.

On September 29, 2023, MI5's "highly sophisticated operation" reached its conclusion in a Morrisons car park in Stratford, east London.

In early September of that year, he made arrangements to acquire a Skorpion automatic weapon, an AK47 rifle and ammunition from France, having already earmarked a mosque as his target.

However, the 21-year-old later abandoned those plans.

The case came to a head on the morning of September 29, 2023, when MI5's "highly sophisticated operation" reached its conclusion in a Morrisons car park in Stratford, east London.

Coleman, then 19 and working at Tesco, had unknowingly arranged to purchase a Makarov pistol, five magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover police officer.

Jurors were shown footage of him handing over £3,500 in cash inside a Land Rover Discovery and collecting a holdall containing the weapon and ammunition from the boot.

After only covering roughly 30 yards after the transaction and still carrying his Tesco employee card, Coleman was confronted by armed counter-terrorism officers who forced him to the ground.

A search of the family home he shared with his parents and sibling laid bare the full extent of his extremist beliefs.

Among the items discovered were £2,500 in savings, a bug-detection device stored in his bedside drawer, a rock bearing a Swastika, a Black Sun flag associated with neo-Nazism displayed on his wall and a collection of extremist literature.

Officers also recovered multiple knives, a small stone axe, an air rifle and a flyer relating to target shooting.

During his radicalisation, the former part-time Tesco employee had drawn up a hate list targeting colleagues and customers he labelled with racial slurs or as "race traitors".

He also wrote a so-called "manifesto" in a diary in which he identified potential targets, including the Lord Mayor of London and a local mosque.

Examination of his electronic devices revealed that in July 2021, Coleman had contacted the white supremacist organisation Patriotic Alternative, expressing a wish to begin taking part in activism.

His written plans for attacks included hijacking a plane and placing explosives in a cash machine, as well as the use of knives and crossbows.

Prosecutor Nicholas De La Poer KC told the court that Coleman had been "seething with hatred" when he compiled his list of work colleagues who had "upset" him, among them a white female co-worker whose husband was of mixed Indian and Seychellois heritage.

Coleman stated he had been "captivated" by an extreme far-right book that glorified the public execution of those he deemed "white race traitors" and his manifesto drew heavily on the actions of extremist mass killers he regarded as "warriors".

Just six days before his arrest, Coleman posted an image of a balaclava-clad figure holding an automatic weapon with the caption: "Coming soon here my man".

Two days before he was due to collect the Makarov, he wrote: "Just something has gotta be done, how long can we sit here and talk over the internet."

That same day, he ordered a Gerber Strong Arm knife with a 4.8-inch blade.

In his evidence, Coleman described experiencing loneliness and poor mental health during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

He admitted attempting to obtain a firearm and ammunition but denied intending to carry out a terrorist attack.

Coleman had also previously pleaded guilty to possessing ten documents containing information useful to terrorists, including material on weaponry and bomb-making.

The 21-year-old was remanded in custody following the verdict and is due to be sentenced on July 8.

Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan, Head of Operations for the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, praised the joint effort that brought Coleman to justice.

She said: "Alfie Coleman is a really dangerous individual, and through our work, we were able to thwart any attack and manage that risk to the public."

The officer also revealed that securing footage of Coleman physically exchanging money for firearms gave prosecutors evidence that he was "fully prepared and committed to carry out an attack way beyond simply typing out ideas of fantasy on his computer".

She concluded: "Whilst this is rare and shocking, unfortunately we're starting to see this more and more in our casework, so this is not unique."