A 19-year-old man has been convicted of 11 terrorism offences following an investigation carried out by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE).
On Friday (26/4), following a trial at Winchester Crown Court, Mason Reynolds, of Moulsecoomb Way, Brighton, was found guilty of one count of possessing an article for the purpose of terrorism, contrary to Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
He previously pleaded guilty to five counts of collecting information which could be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and five counts of dissemination of terrorist publications, contrary to Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Reynolds was arrested by CTPSE officers on 27 June last year.
They discovered a note on his phone detailing a plan to attack a synagogue near Brighton. The note included information about the synagogue’s entrances, exits and security cameras as well as a video taken from Google maps of the location.
He had also noted down key Jewish holidays.
Reynolds was also part of an online group that shared neo-Nazi material as well as posting content that was extreme right wing in nature that encouraged terrorism.
Amongst the content on his devices, officers found neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic material, alongside manuals, one of which detailed how to make a bomb.
Reynolds was arrested on 27 June 2023 and charged on 3 July.
He will be sentenced on 14 June.
Head of CTPSE, Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, said: “This was a particularly concerning case because, in addition to possessing and sharing lots of disgusting materials of both an extreme right wing and anti-Semitic nature, Reynolds also had on his mobile phone a plan for attacking a synagogue.
“Our investigation and the subsequent trial have prevented this plan from ever being put into action.
“As ever, countering terrorism requires close partnership working between the police, other organisations and the public. None of us can do it alone, and communities have a critical role to play by reporting issues and people of concern. What you may consider insignificant could be a key piece of information to us. It could be as simple as a change in behaviour of the people you know and love.
“If you have any concerns, you can report them to your local force by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency or you can visit the ACT early website. Reporting can save lives.”