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Neo-Nazi Teenager on Trial for Attempted Stratford Gun Purchase in MI5 Sting

Coleman maintains he sought the weapon for self-defence despite prosecutors’ case detailing his extremist ideology

Overview

  • On September 29, 2023, Coleman paid £3,500 to undercover MI5 officers in a Morrisons car park in Stratford and was arrested seconds after collecting what he believed was a Makarov pistol and 200 rounds of ammunition.
  • Prosecutors told jurors that over several months Coleman used encrypted platforms like Wire and Telegram to communicate with MI5 operatives as he gathered research, drafted a “manifesto” and collected documents useful for planning violence.
  • Evidence presented at the Old Bailey shows Coleman initially scouted the London mayor’s official residence as his target and later drafted schemes to hijack a plane and plant explosives in a cash machine.
  • The 21-year-old from Great Notley in Essex has pleaded guilty to possessing extremist materials and attempting to acquire a firearm, but he denies preparing for terrorism and claims the weapon was for self-defence.
  • Jurors heard that Coleman idolised Thomas Mair, the murderer of MP Jo Cox, and embraced white supremacist and neo-Nazi beliefs that underpinned his plotted schemes.