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.

A teenager charged with terror offences told police that being arrested was “cool” and he would show off about it “forever”, a court has heard.

The 16-year-old boy is accused of accessing bomb-making instructions on the internet and making a potential bomb filled with shrapnel, but denies intending to harm anyone.

The trial at Leeds Crown Court heard that he told fellow pupils at his school that he was going to “go on a rampage” and “kill many people”.

The jury was told that the teenager also told students he was going to carry out a school shooting and had praised Adolf Hitler.

Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting, read out statements from the boy’s interview with the police following his arrest in August last year.

The court heard he said he would be able to show off to his friends about being arrested “forever”.

Mr Greaney said he told police: “When I have kids I’ll probably still talk about this.”

He described being in the cells as “wicked” and said the situation was “cool and funny”, the court was told.

But the jury heard he told police it “wouldn’t be a joke any more” if he was charged with offences.

The trial has heard that the boy developed an interest in extremist far right ideology and accessed videos and information about murder, torture and mutilation on the internet.

When asked about the violent material, the court heard he told police:

“I find that stuff cool like any teenager would.”

The teenager said he was bullied at school and would say and do “stupid stuff”, the court was told.

Mr Greaney said the boy told police he talked about bombs because:

“Bombs sound cool and will make me sound cooler. It makes me stand out and I look more cool.”

The barrister said the boy added: “I know in my head I wasn’t going to do anything, or haven’t really been doing anything wrong, so it’s cool to me.

“I know I wasn’t going to do anything bad or harm to anyone.”

The court has heard that a search of the teenager’s home in Bradford, West Yorkshire, found a device made from two carbon dioxide canisters joined together and filled with metal tacks, which could have been a “viable CO2 bomb” with the addition of gunpowder and a fuse.

Talking about the device in the interview with police, the court heard that the boy said: “If I was a terrorist, do you think I would leave the device on the bedroom floor?

“If I was a terrorist, I would hide it to the best of my abilities. Why would I have it in my bedroom just sitting on the floor?”

He denied planning an attack on anyone or any place.

The boy denies one count of making an explosive substance with intent, one count of making an explosive substance and three counts of possession of a document likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

The case was adjourned until Tuesday.