MI5 foils Tesco worker's mass gun attack plan in UK

Alfie Coleman, a Tesco supermarket worker from Great Notley, Essex, has been convicted of preparing terrorist acts involving explosives, knives, and a gun.

Coleman, a white supremacist, planned a mass terror attack that included targeting the home of the Lord Mayor of London.

Coleman was arrested after MI5 intercepted his plot, which involved collecting a gun and 188 rounds of ammunition.

The conviction followed a retrial at the Old Bailey, after the initial trial ended without a verdict.

The court heard that Coleman began radicalising during the UK's Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, when he was 15 years old.

He possessed illegal terrorist materials, including guides on explosives and silent killing techniques, and had joined the far-right group Patriotic Alternative.

His plan, titled "Collapse," detailed the construction of explosives and listed weapons he could easily obtain, such as knives and crossbows.

He identified the "Mayor of London house" as a target and compiled a list of individuals he considered enemies, including a Tesco colleague he labelled a "race traitor." Coleman isolated himself from family and friends during the pandemic, deepening his extremist views.

Prosecutors described him as "seething with hatred" and intent on carrying out a violent attack.

The plot was foiled before any attack could take place, highlighting ongoing concerns about far-right extremism and domestic terrorism in the UK.

MI5's intervention prevented what could have been a significant act of mass violence.

The case underscores the challenges security services face in detecting and disrupting lone-actor terrorist plots.

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