Counter terror police thwart neo-Nazi group's plot for UK's first 3D-printer attack

A gang of Hitler idolising neo-Nazis built a fully firing semi-automatic gun to launch what was intended to be Britain's first-ever 3D printer terror attack.

Counter terror officers believe Brogan Stewart, 25, Marco Pizettu, 25, and Christopher Ringrose, 34, were on the verge of carrying out a deadly racist attack using the deadly FGC-9 semi-automatic firearm.

The trio, who have today been convicted of planning an atrocity, hooked up on Facebook and shared a twisted extreme ideology of an "inevitable race war" and amassed more than 200 lethal weapons including, swords, crossbows, machetes, hunting knives, knuckle dusters, axes and a baseball bat. Police stepped in when they feared a "real world attack" was going to take place with firearms, explosives and bladed weapons against a mosque in Leeds.

The men, who had never physically met, were placed under surveillance when counter terrorism officers infiltrated their group. Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East raided their three homes in February last year and found plans to attack mosques, Islamic centres and synagogues before discovering their chilling arsenal of weapons collection - including the operational gun - designed by a German man with files uploaded online.

The group had also planned a training session in remote Derbyshire woodland.

Counter terror police told of their concern about 3D printers as they are finding "more and more" of these guns "appearing on the streets".

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, told The Daily Express despite being made in colourful, blues and oranges, "these things are lethal weapons".

He said: "The consequences of someone discharging it is as fatal as a commercially manufactured gun."

He said he "really welcomed" a Private Members' Bill, the Firearms (3D Printing) Bill, is which is being considered by Parliament to criminalise possession of blueprints and parts for 3D printed firearms.

Of the firearm created in this case, he said: "I know what these guns are capable of, this firearm was tested by our experts and it was able to discharge a bulletin.

"I believe that had we not stepped in they would have gone on to commit a real-world atrocity and then the consequences could have been absolutely horrific."

And he said it was a "huge concern that young people can easily access these printers.

"So we so we are as investigators, we're having to keep up with this, not only with the chat groups that they may go into and the encryption that they may use to hide the chats, but we're having to keep abreast of technology as in such as building these weapons and how this could all unfold.

"These weapons are not toys. When discharged, they will kill somebody. These are consequences that you will live with forever. "

He said this "militant" online group had provided each other with an "echo chamber" of extreme right-wing views.

The group idolised the Nazi regime with gang leader Stewart, who was unemployed and lived with his elderly mother in Tingley, West Yorkshire, issuing commands and setting out uniform, rules and equipment he deemed necessary for his members to obtain.

Pizettu and Ringrose were meanwhile named as his "engineers" and the men were tasked with sourcing body armour, gas masks, riot gear and rations.

The group was infiltrated by an undercover officer using the name Blackheart who raised the alarm after receiving a Telegram message from Stewart expressing his disillusion with other far right groups who just "sit around and talk".

The cache of more than 200 weapons was seized from the home addresses of the would-be terrorists.

Mobile mechanic Pizettu, who lived with his family in Derby, had also bought an illegal stun gun whilst married father-of-two Ringrose, a car factory builder from Cannock, built the deadly 3D gun.

Stewart initially mooted attacking migrant hotels but also boasted that he was a "stay at home domestic terrorist" adding: "I can't stress how much I want to kill a politician".

Det Ch Supt Dunkerley added: "Stewart, Pizettu and Ringrose have today been rightfully convicted of multiple terrorism offenses.

"They were a group that espoused vile racial views and advocate and advocated for violence, all to support their extreme right wing mindset.

"Some of their defencing court was that it was all fancy and just part of harmless chat, however, all three took real world steps to plan and prepare for carry out an attack on innocent citizens."

In January of last year, the defendants are alleged to have formed a group called Einsatz 14 which was described as "like-minded" extremists who "wanted to go to war for their chosen cause".

It was this group which three undercover officers infiltrated, with authorities intervening one month later when the accused had identified clear potential targets and the threat of an attack rose to "imminent".

Their trial at Sheffield crown court was told how a range of social media posts highlighted the group's "political, racial or ideological causes" whilst a post by Stewart on a Telegram chat group called The National Socialist Movement of the United Kingdom said: "Nazis wanted what's best for the white people.

"I believe that had we not stepped in they would have gone on to commit a real-world atrocity and then the consequences could have been absolutely horrific."

And he said it was a "huge concern that young people can easily access these printers.

"So we so we are as investigators, we're having to keep up with this, not only with the chat groups that they may go into and the encryption that they may use to hide the chats, but we're having to keep abreast of technology as in such as building these weapons and how this could all unfold.

"These weapons are not toys. When discharged, they will kill somebody. These are consequences that you will live with forever. "

He said this "militant" online group had provided each other with an "echo chamber" of extreme right-wing views.

The group idolised the Nazi regime with gang leader Stewart, who was unemployed and lived with his elderly mother in Tingley, West Yorkshire, issuing commands and setting out uniform, rules and equipment he deemed necessary for his members to obtain.

Pizettu and Ringrose were meanwhile named as his "engineers" and the men were tasked with sourcing body armour, gas masks, riot gear and rations.

The group was infiltrated by an undercover officer using the name Blackheart who raised the alarm after receiving a Telegram message from Stewart expressing his disillusion with other far right groups who just "sit around and talk".

"They cared. They loved us so much they did everything in their power to save us from Jewish scum and for what? The world to be handed over to the hooked nosed creatures."

Stewart went on: "Hitler did more for his people then any politician. And for Britain to have a p*** and zionist in charge of the country is absolutely outrageous."

The jury was told the last comment was a reference to the then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The trial was also shown a short video Stewart posted of himself wearing a German army helmet, a Nazi armband and a skull face covering.

They were charged with preparing an act of terrorism, targeting mosques or synagogues, when they were arrested in February 2024.

The trio were also each charged with two counts of collecting information which may be useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism, while Ringrose was charged with manufacturing a component for a 3D-printed FGC9 firearm.

Jonathan Sandiford, prosecuting, told jurors at Sheffield Crown Court the three defendants were "right-wing extremists who regarded themselves as national socialists or Nazis".

Sandiford said the trio expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and perpetrators of notorious terrorist attacks, as well as hatred for non-white people, especially Muslims and immigrants.

"They idolized the Nazi party and what the Nazi regime stood for. They have been glorifying some of the worst mass killings that we've ever seen, such as Brenton Tarrant."

Tarrant was an Australian far-right extremist, who fatally shot 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch in the deadliest terrorist attack in New Zealand's history.

A gang of Hitler idolising neo-Nazis built a fully firing semi-automatic gun to launch what was intended to be Britain's first-ever 3D printer terror attack. Counter terror officers believe Brogan Stewart, 25, Marco Pizettu, 25, and Christopher Ringrose, 34, were on the verge of carrying out a deadly racist attack using the deadly FGC-9 semi-automatic firearm.

The trio, who have today been convicted of planning an atrocity, hooked up on Facebook and shared a twisted extreme ideology of an "inevitable race war" and amassed more than 200 lethal weapons including, swords, crossbows, machetes, hunting knives, knuckle dusters, axes and a baseball bat. Police stepped in when they feared a "real world attack" was going to take place with firearms, explosives and bladed weapons against a mosque in Leeds. The men, who had never physically met, were placed under surveillance when counter terrorism officers infiltrated their group.

Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East raided their three homes in February last year and found plans to attack mosques, Islamic centres and synagogues before discovering their chilling arsenal of weapons collection - including the operational gun - designed by a German man with files uploaded online.

The group had also planned a training session in remote Derbyshire woodland.

Counter terror police told of their concern about 3D printers as they are finding "more and more" of these guns "appearing on the streets".

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, told The Daily Express despite being made in colourful, blues and oranges, "these things are lethal weapons".

He said: "The consequences of someone discharging it is as fatal as a commercially manufactured gun."

He said he "really welcomed" a Private Members' Bill, the Firearms (3D Printing) Bill, is which is being considered by Parliament to criminalise possession of blueprints and parts for 3D printed firearms.

Of the firearm created in this case, he said: "I know what these guns are capable of, this firearm was tested by our experts and it was able to discharge a bulletin.

"They cared. They loved us so much they did everything in their power to save us from Jewish scum and for what? The world to be handed over to the hooked nosed creatures."

Stewart went on: "Hitler did more for his people then any politician. And for Britain to have a p*** and zionist in charge of the country is absolutely outrageous."

The jury was told the last comment was a reference to the then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The trial was also shown a short video Stewart posted of himself wearing a German army helmet, a Nazi armband and a skull face covering.

They were charged with preparing an act of terrorism, targeting mosques or synagogues, when they were arrested in February 2024.

The trio were also each charged with two counts of collecting information which may be useful to someone preparing an act of terrorism, while Ringrose was charged with manufacturing a component for a 3D-printed FGC9 firearm.

Jonathan Sandiford, prosecuting, told jurors at Sheffield Crown Court the three defendants were "right-wing extremists who regarded themselves as national socialists or Nazis".

Sandiford said the trio expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and perpetrators of notorious terrorist attacks, as well as hatred for non-white people, especially Muslims and immigrants.

"They idolized the Nazi party and what the Nazi regime stood for. They have been glorifying some of the worst mass killings that we've ever seen, such as Brenton Tarrant."

Tarrant was an Australian far-right extremist, who fatally shot 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch in the deadliest terrorist attack in New Zealand's history.

"The trio met on Facebook. their first interactions were on Facebook and then they've evolved.

"They lived apart in different towns and cities and never actually met in the real world. It was all online."

The police chief said a " significant proportion" of his case load involves extreme right wing terrorism.

"If people think that terrorism only affects those with an extreme view of Islam that is fundamentally wrong. We are seeing it across all walks of life and certainly in the northeast a significant amount of our cases involve extreme righting views.

"They were physically building a deadly weapon. They're building a 3D printed firearm and then we see this escalation in talk where the potential target could be a synagogue or an Islamic school or a mosque.

Police stepped in when they saw signs they were plotting a "real world attack," he said, adding: "That's when we were not prepared to carry that risk and I needed to protect the public.

"I think these three individuals would have encouraged each other into committing a real world act. I think that the tempo was increasing and probably the bravado was increasing they would have gone on to commit an atrocity. And given their lethal weapons the consequences could have been horrific. "

BREAKOUT

A counter terror boss has issued a warning to parents to watch out for their children using 3D printers which can create deadly weapons.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: "I don't think parents are asking enough questions."

He warned: "3D printers are very cheap and 3D printed firearms are relatively easy to manufacture. Parents need to understand what the technology is out there at the fingertips of potentially children, young people, vulnerable people.

"And there needs to be conversations that these are not toys. These are lethal weapons. These are firearms.

"Criminal offenses will be committed by manufacturing these items. But the long-lasting consequences of somebody discharging a firearm will live with everybody forever.

"I don't think parents, friends, relatives are asking enough questions about conversations that are going on in the on-line space.

"I think we're seeing more and more children and people going down what I call rabbit holes, they're entering echo chambers where we're see more and more extreme views being espoused in these chat groups. But there's no moderation, there's no counterbalance to these extreme views.

"I personally think parents need to take more of an active role in balancing those conversations, because what we're seeing are just extreme views being amplified, because nobody's offering that challenge. And we need parents to be offering that change challenge."