A neo-Nazi teenager was snared by MI5 as he attempted to buy a gun for a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

Alfie Coleman was aged 19 when armed police swooped to arrest him outside a Morrisons supermarket in Stratford, east London, on September 29 2023.

Lunchtime shoppers bore witness to the “shocking scene” when three men pointed stun guns as Coleman as he walked across the car park carrying a bag, jurors heard on Wednesday.

Nicholas De La Poer KC said the bag contained what appeared to be a handgun and around 200 rounds of ammunition.

Counter-terrorism officers knew what he was carrying because “they had sold them to him”, the prosecutor said.

The arrest was the culmination of “persistent” efforts by Coleman to get hold of a gun, including contacting people online, the Old Bailey was told.

Mr De La Poer told jurors: “Unbeknownst to him, Mr Coleman had been talking to several undercover operatives over the previous months, as he sought to purchase a firearm via encrypted messaging platforms.

“This had culminated in MI5 undercover operatives agreeing to sell a firearm and the bullets to Mr Coleman. The arrangement made was for the supply of a Makarov pistol, five magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition.

“Mr Coleman was told these items would be in a Land Rover Discovery parked in the Morrisons car park. He left £3,500 in cash in the front passenger seat footwell and collected the bag containing the items from the boot.

“Before he had gone 30 yards, Mr Coleman was confronted by armed officers and he was arrested.”

The prosecutor said Coleman harboured an extreme right-wing ideology and was planning to use the gun in a terrorist attack.

He “idolised” the likes of Thomas Mair, who murdered MP Jo Cox, and believed in white supremacy and neo-Nazism, the court was told.

He collected a number of terrorist documents, carried out online research and wrote a manifesto, it was alleged.

Mr De La Poer said: “The prosecution’s case is that Mr Coleman engaged in conversation on encrypted social media platforms such as Wire and Telegram with people whom he thought were sympathetic to his views.

“And it was through such people that Mr Coleman sought to buy a firearm. A mission which led him to the Morrisons car park in Stratford on the morning of September 29.”

The court was told of an alleged earlier first attempt at writing down an attack plan dating back to June 2022, a week before he turned 18.

In it, Coleman allegedly identified his target as the “Mayor of London house” and included the postcode for the Lord Mayor’s residence, jurors heard.

In a section headed “weapons I can get easy”, he allegedly listed “knives” and “crossbows”, the court heard.

In September 2022, Coleman allegedly wrote a list on his phone with offensive language next to a number of vehicle number plates.

Jurors were told Coleman was working at Tesco at the time and however he presented himself at work was “seething with hatred on the inside”.

Mr De La Poer said the phrase “race traitor” was written beside some of the number plates, including that of a white female co-worker.

The court heard Coleman had pleaded guilty to possession of 10 documents useful to terrorists, attempting to possess both a firearm – which had been deactivated – and ammunition.

Coleman, now aged 21, of Great Notley in Essex, has denied preparing acts of terrorism.

The Old Bailey trial continues.

An inmate at a high-security jail is accused of trying to murder the prison’s imam after obtaining a knife behind bars, a court has heard.

Ahmed Ali Alid, 47, is accused of the attempted murder of Roderic Vassie in an incident at HMP Full Sutton in Yorkshire on August 8 last year.

Westminster Magistrates Court heard Alid, a Moroccan national, is accused of having a knife and using it to “slice” the top of Mr Vassie’s head before attempting to stab him five times.

Alid is also accused of inflicting actual bodily harm on prison guard Sarah Mitchell on October 21 last year, after he had been moved to HMP Wakefield.

Alid, who was charged following a Counter Terrorism Policing North East investigation, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to face the charges for the first time.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram sent the case to the Old Bailey for a hearing on April 17.

Alid, from Hartlepool, did not indicate any pleas to the charges of attempted murder, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon in a prison.

“The defendant was a serving prisoner at HMP Full Sutton,” set out prosecutor Sally-Anne Russell.

“The first incident is that, on August 8, he attacked the imam in the prison using a sharp weapon.”

She said it is alleged Alid “sliced the top of his head with the weapon and then attempted to stab him a further five times to the head and neck area”.

Ms Russell said the alleged attack on Ms Mitchell happened when she opened his cell door at HMP Wakefield.

Alid appeared for the court hearing on a videolink from HMP Wakefield and he remains in custody.

Counter-terrorism police are investigating an online claim by a suspected terror group taking responsibility for the attack on four Jewish community ambulances.

A Telegram post from Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia in which it claims to be behind the arson has circulated online and was shown to the Press Association by a member of the Jewish community at the scene in Golders Green, north-west London.

An unverified video posted at 6.13am on Monday on its Telegram channel showed street view Google Maps images of the ambulances and footage of explosions.

At the start of the video posted on Telegram, a message in English said the group’s primary target was the Machzike Hadath Synagogue due to its links to Israel.

The post also cited Conservative former prime minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to the synagogue during the election campaign in June 2024 to express “his country’s unwavering support for Israel”.

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which translates to the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, is a new terrorism group with suspected links to pro-Iranian networks, according to Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.

The group previously claimed responsibility for several attacks on Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands between March 9 and March 14, according to the Israeli ministry.

They included an explosive attack at a synagogue in Liege, Belgium, an arson attack on a Rotterdam synagogue and an explosive device set off at a Jewish school in Amsterdam.

The group’s Telegram channel, which was apparently only created on Saturday, also includes a video of an attack in Amsterdam targeting an American bank.

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin was also suspected to be linked to an attack at a Jewish site in Greece, according to the Israeli diaspora ministry.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on March 15 that “a jihadi group tied to an Iranian proxy” was responsible for the attacks.

It said “the IRGC continues to sponsor and export terror across the globe”.

Earlier in March, the Israeli diaspora ministry released a report which said the attacks appear to be part of intimidation and psychological warfare against Jewish communities in Europe.

Diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism minister Amichai Chikli was quoted by The Times of Israel and others as saying: “The recent events in Europe are not isolated incidents but part of a disturbing pattern of action: Terrorist networks affiliated with the Iranian axis are trying to expand their arena of operation into the cities and Jewish communities of Europe.”

The report also said that the group operates through local cells or individuals who are directed from abroad.

It highlighted that the organisation’s name is similar to one used by the Iraqi militia Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, which was described as a terrorist organisation by the US State Department.

The group’s logo also closely resembles the symbols used by Iranian-aligned militant groups, according to The Times of Israel.

Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said: “We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack.

“Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team but it is not something we can confirm at this point.”

A woman accused of expressing support for Hamas told a crowd the proscribed organisation is “fighting for freedom”, a court has heard.

On Monday, Bristol Crown Court heard Kwabena Devonish, 27, is alleged to have said she was “sick” of “being told to condemn Hamas”.

Devonish is accused of having expressed an opinion or belief in support of the proscribed organisation during a speech in November 2023.

The court heard Devonish had attended a march in Cardiff and addressed a crowd gathered at Ty William Morgan in Central Square.

Devonish was arrested in January 2024 after a video of the speech was posted on social media.

In a video played to the jury, Devonish said: “I would never condemn the resistance of Palestinians because their resistance is due to the occupation.

“So, if you want to talk about violence, if you want to talk about atrocities, then point the finger to the state of Israel.

“I am sick of being told to condemn Hamas, when Hamas are fighting for freedom, Hamas are fighting for the people.”

The court heard the march took place on November 11 2023 and was attended by about 500 people.

Diana Wilson, prosecuting, said: “There is no dispute this is Miss Devonish (in the video) and she is addressing a crowd, likely at the end of the march.”

Devonish, of Pentrebane, Cardiff, is charged with expressing an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000.

The trial continues.

A Conservative government would tackle the rise of “separatism” in the UK by uniting people “around a common culture and a common identity”, Kemi Badenoch has announced.

In a speech laying out a series of planned commissions focused on integration, the leader of the Opposition said Britain has become “too tolerant of those weaponising identity politics for their own gain”.

She defined separatism as “a way of living that keeps a group apart from the wider society” which leads to sectarianism and “the politics that follows when people are taught to think in blocks”.

Mrs Badenoch claimed separatism was “most visible in some Muslim communities, with extremism its most violent expression,” but said the issue was also emerging elsewhere.

Concerns have been raised about people forcing family members to vote in a certain way in the recent Gorton and Denton by-election, with Nigel Farage claiming it was a victory for “sectarian voting and cheating” after Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer won the seat.

Mrs Badenoch said she did not believe women were “marched into the voting booth to stop them from voting Reform”, but claimed something “much deeper and disturbing” was happening.

She added the by-election featured campaigning “designed to mobilise voters on ethnicity and religion, not domestic priorities”.

“People were voting not based on who would increase their wages or fix their schools, but on who would protect the interests of their identity groups and punish those who they disagree with. This is not healthy and it is not British,” she said.

Mrs Badenoch added her party’s approach would be “bold” and “brave” but strike the “right tone” to avoid fermenting division.

She added: “It is about bringing people together around a common culture and a common identity.

“There is a vacuum of competence on this issue right now and that is why Conservatives have to lead. No-one else will do this properly. We have to.”

Mrs Badenoch said: “British culture exists. We live it. We benefit from it and we have a duty to defend it and pass it on.

“The answer to this is integration, but for integration to work people have to know they are integrating into a culture which is strong and self-confident.

“It does not work if Britain is a mess of competing cultures and it cannot work if we are not brave enough to say who we are and what we expect.”

She said her party would launch a commission to recommend an integration and cohesion plan that “sets out the culture that we want people to assimilate into, what we expect and what we will enforce”.

She added: “But first we must do away with what has failed. Integration being treated as an administrative process has not worked. That era is over.

“We will act on a simple doctrine. We will end identity politics in the state full stop. No racial preferences, protected characteristics will not be used as criteria for hiring, promotion, admissions or procurement.”

Mrs Badenoch promised to establish “universalism”, described as “one set of rules for everyone, enforced fairly”.

Expanding on the concept, she added: “Universalism will run through every aspect of government policy, from education to policing, welfare to immigration.

“We will review every single code of practice to ensure standardisation across public bodies and prevent them from doing their own thing.

“We will replace the promotion of multiculturalism in schools with a national story, one that is inclusive of the many people who have come to Britain, but without the grievance or the guilt which is corroding our cultural confidence.

“We will not teach our children that all cultures are equal. Instead we will teach them why Britain’s civic culture matters.”

She also said her party would “end institutional self-censorship that stops people from doing the right thing”.

Lord Toby Young has been asked to lead a review on this element of the plans.

A commission will be established to assess how to overhaul the Equality Act “so it prioritises meritocracy and strengthens integration”, Mr Badenoch said.

A 13-year-old boy is accused of stabbing a pupil in the neck with a kitchen knife in front of numerous children in a north-west London classroom, a court has heard.

The child sustained three stab wounds, a spinal fracture and injuries to the neck and hands that required surgery, Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told on Thursday.

The former pupil is accused of stabbing another child in the playground and spraying ant spray in the face of a third, during the incident at Kingsbury High School, Brent, on Tuesday.

Less than a minute passed between the first and second knife attacks, the court heard.

The defendant filmed the entire attack on his mobile phone but there is no suggestion it was uploaded to social media, the hearing was told.

The teenager, who has not been named because of his age, appeared in court on Thursday wearing a grey prison-issue tracksuit.

Two family members sat on the seats in front of the dock and the defendant spoke softly to confirm his name and date of birth.

He is accused of the attempted murder of two boys aged 12 and 13, and unlawfully and maliciously administering a noxious thing to a third child.

The boy has also been charged with possession of a knife on school premises without good reason or lawful authority.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded him into a youth detention facility to appear at the Old Bailey on February 27.

Prosecutor Kathryn Selby told the hearing that at just gone midday, the boy arrived at the classroom door carrying ant spray and the knife.

He allegedly sprayed the ant spray in a child’s face before stabbing the other boy, the prosecution said.

Numerous children and a teacher were present, the court heard.

Ms Selby said he then walked downstairs and stabbed another child in the neck in a playground area, leaving a 3cm wound.

The conditions of two alleged stab victims are not thought to be life-threatening but whether they are life-changing is uncertain, the prosecution said.

The defendant was at large for around three hours before being arrested near a mosque.

Temporary Commander Helen Flanagan, from Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “These are extremely serious charges against a young boy and we continue to support the victims and their families, as well as the wider school community, following this shocking incident.

“While we have now charged the boy with these offences, our investigation is ongoing and detectives will continue to carry out inquiries in the local area.

“We are working closely with local policing colleagues in the Brent area and I would also like to thank the school and the wider local community for their support in recent days.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We have worked closely with the police as they have carried out their investigation.

“We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.

“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

A man who scrawled “kill jews” on a cell wall with crayons after he was arrested for stuffing Korans down a hospital toilet has been found guilty of hate crimes, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

Ibhraim Iqbal, 36, from Leeds, was found guilty of two counts of religiously aggravated criminal damage and another count of criminal damage at Leeds District Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, the CPS confirmed.

The CPS said the conviction comes as prosecutors deal with a record number of hate crime referrals.

A spokesman said Iqbal smashed a framed Islamic scripture before defacing multiple Korans in a multi-faith room at St James’s Hospital in Leeds, in November last year.

He tore out pages, setting them alight and using them to block the sink and toilet.

Iqbal then returned to the hospital two weeks later and deliberately stuffed items down the drains to cause a blockage, the spokesman said.

He was detained by hospital security staff when he returned the following day and attempted to access the multi-faith room again but found it locked due to the earlier damage.

After he was arrested, he asked for crayons and used them to write the “kill Jews” on his cell wall, the spokesman said.

Iqbal will be sentenced at the same court on February 16.

Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside Luke Hopkinson said: “Ibhraim Iqbal carried out a deliberate and sustained campaign of hatred, targeting both Muslim and Jewish communities with his actions.

“This comes at a time where our prosecutors are working on the highest ever number of hate crime cases referred to us by police.

“I hope today’s conviction demonstrates the CPS’s commitment to tackling religiously aggravated hate crime, and reiterate how we will always seek to prosecute those who target others because of their faith where their conduct strays into criminality.”

The CPS said data for July to September 2025 showed it received 4,358 cases from police which have been flagged as having a hate crime element, which is a 14.7% increase on the previous quarter, and 2.8% up on the same period in 2024.

The jury has been sent out to consider verdicts in the trial of a 16-year-old boy accused of planning a terror attack on local synagogues.

Counter terror police found what Leeds Crown Court heard was an “arsenal” of weapons, including a crossbow and knives, when they raided the teenager’s home in Northumberland last February.

The defendant, who cannot be identified due to his age, denies preparing acts of terrorism, being a member of a proscribed organisation – a neo-Nazi group called The Base – as well as possessing and publishing terror documents.

The jury has seen images of his bedroom, including a replica of an SS officer’s cap, a flag of Rhodesia and a skeleton in a mask.

They have also been shown online messages with members of white supremacist groups and violent journal entries.

The jury has heard how the youth watched a video of the New Zealand mosque terror attack then looked up synagogues in the Newcastle area.

Michelle Heeley KC, prosecuting, has previously told the jury: “He communicated with others about his desire for action and he had carried out numerous preparatory steps towards carrying out those threats.”

Frida Hussain KC, defending, said the boy was “desperately lonely” and had been “plagued” with thoughts of killing himself and created an online persona as a distraction.

During the trial, Miss Hussain asked him: “Writing in these terms about harming other people, was this anything you wanted to do in reality?”

The defendant replied: “Just thoughts in my head. I never intended to harm anyone.”

Mr Justice Wall sent the jury out to consider their verdicts on Monday morning.

Saudi Arabia has quietly expanded access to its only store that sells alcohol, allowing wealthy foreign residents to buy such drinks in the latest step in the once-ultraconservative kingdom’s experiment in liberalisation.

There has been no official announcement of the decision, but word has got out, and long lines of cars and people can now be seen at the discreet, unmarked store in the Diplomatic Quarter of the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The store opened in January 2024 for non-Muslim diplomats.

The new rules allow non-Muslim foreigners who hold Premium Residency to buy.

The residency permit goes to foreigners with specialised skills, investors and entrepreneurs.

Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, has banned alcohol since the early 1950s.

The store is widely seen as a way to cautiously test the controlled sale of alcohol.

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and his father, King Salman, have pursued a dramatic liberalisation policy in the kingdom, aiming to attract tourism, boost international business and reduce economic dependence on crude oil.

The kingdom, which adheres to Islamic Sharia law, has opened cinemas, allowed women to drive and hosted major music festivals.

But political speech and dissent remain strictly criminalised, potentially at the penalty of death.

Alcohol remains banned for the general public.

The unmarked store resembles a duty-free shop.

Its ownership remains officially undisclosed.

Security is strict.

Every visitor is subject to eligibility checks and frisking before entry.

Phones and cameras are banned inside, and staff even inspect eyewear for smart glasses.

The Associated Press spoke to several customers leaving the store.

Prices are sharply elevated, they said.

Diplomats are exempt from taxes on their purchases, but Premium Residency holders are not.

The customers described the store as relatively well-stocked, though some said the selection of beer and wine was limited.

The Premium Residency permit was created as part of the kingdom’s drive to attract global expertise.

Unlike other residencies, it does not require a Saudi sponsor, and it offers benefits including the right to own property, start a business and sponsor family.

It requires high incomes or large investments to qualify.

Saudis and other residents who want a drink often travel to the neighbouring island of Bahrain, where alcohol is legally available to Muslims and non-Muslims.

On weekends and holidays, the island sees an influx of visitors from Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf, making it a popular getaway.

The more expensive option is to go to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Others resort to smuggled alcohol, which can be extremely expensive, or to bootleg booze – often homemade and risky, using unsafe materials.

Some people in Saudi Arabia enjoy alcohol-free beverages as a substitute for the real thing or to capture the aesthetic of drinking, often snapping photos for social media.

At major events and festivals, it is not uncommon to see long lines forming at alcohol-free beer stands, especially among young Saudis and visitors looking to partake in the vibe.

King Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s founding monarch, banned the sale after a 1951 incident in which one of his sons, Prince Mishari, became intoxicated and used a shotgun to kill British vice consul Cyril Ousman in Jeddah.

Read more: Two million expected as Hajj season begins in Saudi Arabia.

A man has been found guilty of travelling to Syria to fight with a terrorist group linked to al Qaida for jihad.

Isa Giga, 32, resigned from his job as a technical support consultant job at a technology firm and bought a business class return flight to Turkey before crossing into war-torn Syria in August 2015.

Despite pleas from his family, Giga did not return to the UK for nine years and was arrested upon his arrival on a flight from Turkey last May.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, he was found guilty of preparation of terrorist acts between August 31 2015 and August 31 2016 by travelling to Syria to fight with the Jaysh Al Fath groups.

The court heard how Giga had left the home he shared with his parents and sister in Hounslow, west London, in August 2015 and informed them he had gone to Syria for jihad.

On September 11 2015 – the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States – he told his sister: “I have come here to fight for jihad. I’m based in Idlib province and I fight for Jaysh al Fath which is the rebel coalition which includes the Free Syrian Army up to al Qaida-linked groups.

“I have come here to fight against (Bashar) Assad and also to fight against Isis. I can’t sit at home when fellow Muslims are in need and their religion is in danger.”

His father responded: “Please don’t do anything that will break my or your mother’s or family’s heart, stay within the bounds of true Islam and humanity, stay away from extremism and follow the Sunnah.”

But in a further message to his sister, Giga said he had finished his training and had been given the “opportunity to fight on the front line in the near future”.

He told her: “I hope more than anything to gain martyrdom while fighting against Isis or against the Assad regime but I fear death as much as anyone else so I am in need of your duas (prayers).”

The court heard that Giga’s father did everything he could to try to convince his son to return home and travelled to Reyhanli, a small Turkish town close to the Syrian border.

In a letter to Giga from the border, he wrote: “I have promısed your mum that somehow I will try my best to convince you to come out of there, and we will settle down anywhere in this world where you feel comfortable and happy…

“Can you for one minute imagine what the rest of her life will be like if something was to happen to you? Isa, her life wıll be destroyed and so will all of ours.

“It is on that basis I beg you to stay safe and come out of there immediately. And stay away from the front line because the Russians are using all kınds of firepower.”

However, Giga appeared to be set on “martyrdom”, the court heard.

Then in December 2015, Giga told his sister that he planned on doing charity work – although the organisation concerned had no record of it – and by August 2016 contact with his family petered out.

Eight years later, Giga was issued an emergency passport by the British Consulate in Istanbul.

Police were waiting when Giga arrived at Heathrow Airport on a Turkish Airlines flight on May 23 2024.

Following his arrest, Giga made no comment in police interviews but in a prepared statement denied he had travelled to Syria to fight or join any groups.

He claimed he had lied to his family about doing charity work, training, fighting and joining groups because he thought they would struggle to understand the idea of going there simply to live.

Giving evidence in his Old Bailey trial, Giga maintained that he had gone to Syria only to live in an Islamic state.

A jury deliberated for 10 hours and 26 minutes to reject his version of events and find him guilty by a majority of 11 to one.

Judge Mark Lucraft KC ordered a report and adjourned sentencing to October 17.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “We have been clear for some time now that anyone returning to the UK suspected of being involved in any terrorist-related activity overseas will be thoroughly investigated.

“We work very closely with other partners and agencies here in the UK and overseas in order to do this and help keep the public safe.

“As this case shows, we will always arrest those who return to the UK after fighting for a terrorist group, no matter how long it has been since they left the country.”