Three men who harbored neo-Nazi beliefs and plotted terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues have been sentenced to a combined 29 years in prison, following a dramatic trial at Sheffield Crown Court that exposed the chilling extent of their preparations and ideology. Christopher Ringrose, 34, Marco Pitzettu, 25, and Brogan Stewart, 25, were convicted in May after a nine-week trial that revealed their stockpile of over 200 weapons, including swords, crossbows, axes, machetes, and hunting knives, as well as body armour and a stun gun.
According to Sky News and Metro, the trio’s plans were not just idle fantasies. The court heard they had amassed components for a 3D-printed FGC-9 Mk II semi-automatic firearm, discovered in Ringrose’s loft, which was only missing the barrel and firing pin. Prosecutors argued that, had the weapon been completed, it could have been used to “devastating consequences.” The men were actively sourcing the final parts at the time of their arrest.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, described the group’s activities as a clear and present threat. He explained, “We saw this building of a firearm, and we saw them then changing their conversation and an uptick in their hatred and looking to identify a real-world target, which could have been talk of a synagogue, an Islamic institution, a mosque, education… When we saw that uptick changing, and they were looking to come out into the real world, that’s when we took the action to arrest them.” Dunkerley emphasized, “That was a tipping point for us. The protection of the public was absolutely paramount, and this wasn’t some fantasy.”
The men’s journey toward violence began online. Shared interests in bushcraft and “prepper” YouTube videos—focused on preparing for world-changing disaster—brought them together in extremist digital spaces. According to the prosecution, their initial forays into far-right chat groups soon gave way to the creation of their own private group, Einsatz 14, in January 2024. This group, prosecutors said, was made up of “like-minded extremists” intent on “going to war for their chosen cause.”
Stewart, who appointed himself leader, was explicit about his motivations. In messages to an undercover officer—who infiltrated the group on January 5, 2024, via the encrypted Telegram app—he expressed frustration with other far-right groups that “just sit around and talk.” Stewart wrote, “I want to get my own group together because action speaks louder than words.” He appointed Ringrose and Pitzettu as “armourers,” and the group discussed acquiring uniforms and potential targets, including mosques and synagogues.
In a group call on February 5, 2024, the men discussed plans to “cruise around” looking for “human targets” near an Islamic education centre. Stewart suggested that after “doing whatever we do,” they would “back at mine for tea and medals and a debrief.” The group had never met in person, but Stewart proposed an in-person meeting to “cement that brotherhood” on February 18. The event never took place, as counter-terrorism police raided properties in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire on February 20, arresting all three men before any attack could occur.
The court was presented with a 374-page dossier of the group’s internet activity, which Judge Mrs Justice Cutts said “laid bare” their ideology. The document was, in the judge’s words, “filled with hate towards black and other non-white races, especially Muslim people and immigrants, with ideas of white supremacy and racial purity together with a belief that there must soon be a race war.” The dossier also included “glorification and admiration of the policies and actions of Hitler and the German Nazi Party, including antisemitism, and of mass killers who had targeted black or Muslim communities.”
During the trial, the prosecution, led by Jonathan Sandiford KC, made clear that the men’s ideology and intentions were not in doubt. Sandiford told the jury, “These three defendants were right-wing extremists who regarded themselves as National Socialists, or Nazis, and they supported the National Socialist movement in the UK, such as it is or indeed was.” He added that the trio “all held a belief that there must soon be a race war between the white and other races.”
The group’s mission statement, developed by Stewart, made their aims explicit: “target mosques, Islamic education centres and other similar locations.” Stewart even sent an undercover officer details of the Islamic Education Centre on Mexborough Road in Leeds, including a Google Maps image, and discussed possible actions ranging from vandalism to more serious violence. When pressed for details, Stewart replied, “It depends how far we are willing to go. It could be a beating with batons and bats or something more serious.”
The defense tried to argue that the men were merely fantasists, not serious about carrying out violence. However, the jury rejected these arguments, finding all three guilty of preparing acts of terrorism and collecting information likely to be useful for terrorism. Ringrose was additionally convicted of manufacturing the lower receiver for a 3D firearm, a prohibited weapon, and Pitzettu pleaded guilty to possessing a stun gun.
At sentencing on Friday, October 17, 2025, Judge Mrs Justice Cutts handed Stewart 11 years, Ringrose 10 years, and Pitzettu 8 years in prison, with extended sentences and additional licence periods due to the ongoing danger they posed. She remarked that, while a terrorist attack was not “imminent,” it was “likely in the not too distant future.” She added, “Mercifully your plans and preparations were being monitored and were ultimately thwarted by the authorities. For that reason, they did not advance as far as I am satisfied they would otherwise have done. I do however find that a terrorist attack was likely in the not too distant future.”
After the verdicts, Detective Chief Superintendent Dunkerley told Metro, “These individuals have come together in an online space, and what brought them together was extreme racial prejudice. They held extreme racist views. They idolised the Nazi Party. There was adoration for mass murderers, and they held really extreme views against people who didn’t look like them. Those views were amplified in that online space, encouraged between them, and they looked then to start what I think was prepping for a real-world attack.” He concluded, “I think, had we not taken steps to arrest them, that we would have seen something play out in the real-world that could have had fatal consequences. It was very much our firm view that this was more than just talk.”
The case serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threat posed by online radicalization and the importance of early intervention. Thanks to the vigilance of counter-terrorism police—and a timely undercover operation—a potentially devastating attack was prevented, and three men who clung to violent, hateful ideologies are now behind bars.