County Durham terror plot father and son are jailed

Ian (left) and Nicky Davison

A neo-Nazi who made the poison ricin and plotted to overthrow the government has been jailed for 10 years

Police found the deadly chemical when they raided Ian Davison's home in Burnopfield, County Durham, last June. The 41-year-old admitted producing a chemical weapon, preparing for acts of terrorism and having terror handbooks. His son Nicky, 19, who was convicted of possessing material useful for acts of terror, was detained for two years at a young offenders' institution.

The pair, who had earlier been tried separately at Newcastle Crown Court, set up and ran the Aryan Strike Force (ASF) website.

Ian Davison created ricin at his home in 2006 or early 2007, Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said. It was found when police raided the property in June last year and is now stored at the UK's Porton Down chemical weapons centre. The court heard that Ian Davison researched how to make the killer chemical and then followed instructions, having bought its easily-sourced ingredients.

Passing sentence, Judge John Milford told the father: "A particularly unpleasant aggravating feature of this case is that you corrupted your son."

Mr Edis said: "He was a leading member of the ASF which was a neo-Nazi organisation dedicated to using violence. Its slogan was 'Whatever it takes'. The purpose of the violence was the creation of an international Aryan group which would establish white supremacy in 'white' countries. They were followers of the ideology of Adolf Hitler, who they revered, and whose work Mein Kampf was among many available on their website."

Mr Edis said the ASF had about 350 members recruited via the internet, though not all were active. Other alleged members will face trial later this year.

Mr Edis said: "This defendant intended to perpetrate acts of terrorism. The ricin which he made would be used in pursuit of the cause espoused by the group."

The Crown said the group had not picked out particular targets, but had run a training camp in Cumbria and made promotional films. The ASF, also known as the Wolf Pack, aimed to overthrow "Zionist" governments and considered itself to be the UK's most right-wing group. Davison Snr was in contact with a Nazi in Serbia and the pair discussed poisoning water supplies used by Muslims, Mr Edis said. Davison Snr possessed many copies of terror guidebooks such as the Anarchist's Cookbook and made them available for download.

Toby Hedworth QC, defending, said a psychological report showed Davison Snr was a "super-wimp not a savage" who had a "fragile ego".

Peter Carter QC, for Davison Jnr, said his client was of previous good character and had been corrupted by his father. He has now thrown away any chance of an Army career, the court heard. The judge said he accepted the son had been influenced by his father.

"But you were actively in the website and expressed on it the same vile, racist views as your father," he said. "I accept you knew nothing of the ricin."

Judge Milford also expressed surprise that the Anarchist's Cookbook was still available to buy on the Amazon website and asked the authorities to look into it.

Outside court, Det Supt Neil Malkin, of Durham Police, said he wanted terror manuals removed from the internet.

"This is a landmark case and will bring the attention of the authorities at a national level to the need to restrict these documents," he said.

He said just downloading the Anarchist's Cookbook from the internet was an offence. He added: "Ian Davison was only one step away from producing a terrorist event."

The Crown Prosecution Service said Ian Davison was the first man in England and Wales to be convicted of a terrorism-related offence involving ricin. Counter terrorism division lawyer Stuart Laidlaw said the pair were "Nazi zealots" who believed in white supremacy and revered Adolf Hitler. He said: "They hated minority ethnic groups, be they black, Asian, Muslim or Jewish."

He added that 10 fatal doses of ricin were found in Ian Davison's house, all of which were made by him.

BBC

White supremacist and son await sentence

A white supremacist who created deadly ricin will be sentenced along with his racist son today

Police said former pub DJ Ian Davison, 41, was plotting to use the killer chemical which was found in a jam jar in his kitchen when officers raided. He ran a group of internet extremists known as the Aryan Strike Force with his 19-year-old son Nicky, who was convicted last month of preparing for acts of terrorism by downloading the guidebooks the Anarchist's Cookbook and The Poor Man's James Bond.

The teenager, of Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, County Durham, claimed he became involved in white supremacy to please his racist father. A jury took 50 minutes to convict him at Newcastle Crown Court.

Davison Snr, of Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, had already admitted producing a chemical weapon, preparing for acts of terrorism and three counts relating to possessing the terror handbooks. Ricin is extracted from the castor bean and exposure to small quantities can be fatal. The US Centre for Disease Control suggested that as little as 500mg - about half a grain of rice - could be lethal if injected or inhaled, and has no known antidote.

The father and son were both remanded in custody ahead of their sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court.

After Davison Jnr's conviction, Detective Superintendent Neil Malkin said: "I have no understanding of their intended target. What I do know is the nature of the organisation and what it had pulled together in terms of the ricin, pipe bombs and the manuals can only give me concerns that the next step was to take it to the streets."

The Aryan Strike Force was in the early stages of preparation when it was raided last summer, and planned paramilitary operations which aimed to topple the "Zionist" government. Members believed themselves to be the most racist group in Britain.

Independent

Pictures of UK neo-Nazi plotters released

Ian Davison (left) and son Nicky

Pictures of the father and son neo-Nazis involved in a UK right-wing plot to kill Muslims, blacks and Jews, have been released.

Hate mob leader Ian Davison, 41, planned to use the deadly poison ricin and recruited hundreds of followers to his Nazi Aryan Strike Force. His son Nicky, 19, had set up a computer network of white supremacist extremists around the world.

Members of the group planned to fight against what they called the "Zionist-occupied government" and believed Britain had been taken over by Jews. A police raid at the Davisons’ home on Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, Co Durham in England, found copies of paramilitary manuals 'The Poor Man’s James Bond' and the 'Anarchist’s Cookbook' on two computers.

Davison Jnr, a former milkman’s assistant, denied any knowledge of the documents and claimed a “mischievous” friend downloaded them. But he was convicted on Friday of three counts of possessing information useful in committing or preparing terror acts. Former pub DJ Davison Snr previously admitted six charges, including producing deadly ricin, one of the world’s most dangerous substances. They will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on May 14.

Judge John Milford remanded Davison in custody and he was taken away after hugging his weeping mother in the public gallery.

The racist gang was fully intending to use the deadly ricin, said the officer leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Neil Malkin.

“I have no understanding of their intended target,” he said. “What I do know is the nature of the organisation and what it had pulled together in terms of the ricin, pipe bombs and the manuals can only give me concerns that the next step was to take it to the streets.”

He said the deadly substance was found in a sealed jar and was in a usable state. It has now been taken to the UK’s chemical weapons centre at Porton Down.

Mr Malkin said the father was the head of the organisation which had “abhorrent views” towards “ethnic minorities and Jewish people”. But the son was old enough to know his own mind, the detective said.

“He lived in an atmosphere of extreme right-wing white supremacist neo-Nazi rhetoric and he has embraced that.”

Mr Malkin said others investigated as part of the inquiry will face prosecution later this year.

Evening Echo

White supremacist group 'considered itself most racist'

A white supremacist group considered itself the most racist and extreme neo-Nazi movement in Britain, a court heard today. Members of the Aryan Strike Force believed groups like the notorious far-right Combat 18 and Blood and Honour did "fuck all" and were more interested in raising money than fighting "scum".

The shocking revelation emerged during the trial of ex-milkman's assistant Nicky Davison, 19, who is charged with possessing terrorism manuals.

Newcastle Crown Court has already heard that the teenager was one of the founders of the Aryan Strike Force, an online far-right group set up by his father, Ian. Ian Davison, 41, a former pub DJ, has already admitted six charges related to this case, including producing ricin, one of the world's deadliest substances. The aim of the group was to carry out "ops" and overthrow the Government, which it believed had been taken over by the ZOG - the Zionist Occupied Government.

After studying videos, messages posted online and logs of internet chat, Dr Matthew Feldman, a lecturer at the University of Northampton, said the Aryan Strike Force considered itself the most extreme right-wing group in Britain.

"Some of these groups like Blood and Honour and Combat 18 are seen as not being 'active' enough," Dr Feldman, an expert in the ideology of post-war fascism and neo-Nazism, told the jury. "Aryan Strike Force would regard itself as the pinnacle and the most uncompromising form of neo-Nazis groups available in the UK. The Aryan Strike Force regarded itself as the most active, rejectionist and unwilling to compromise on its principles.

"The other movements would be more concerned about finances rather than focusing on direct action or revolutionary tactics. It was an unmistakable example of neo-Nazis in Britain and this permutation is the most overtly hostile. Legion88, the Aryan Strike Force and WolfPack represented the most aggressive and dangerous form of neo-Nazism. One, moreover, which seems to be on the most extreme form of (the) neo-Nazi spectrum, and this group may be considered an exemplar of violent revolutionary neo-Nazism."

Earlier today, jurors were read messages Davison had posted on online forums and heard he was prepared to "die fighting" for his cause. Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said Davison wrote: "I know my aims. I don't care if I am fighting a unwinnable battle. I would rather die fighting than let the scum of the earth walk over us."

Davison wrote of "taking control of national white countries by any means necessary and overthrow and see the downfall of the ZOG".

The court heard yesterday that in June last year police discovered copies of The Poor Man's James Bond and The Anarchist's Cookbook on computers at the home Davison shared with his mother and younger brothers and sisters in County Durham. Davison, of Grampian Way, Annfield Plain, denies three charges of possessing a record containing information useful in committing or preparing acts of terrorism.

Last month his father, of Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, admitted preparing for acts of terrorism and producing a chemical weapon from June 1 to 3 last year. He also admitted three charges of possessing a record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism relating to electronic copies of The Anarchist's Cookbook, the Mujahideen Explosives Handbook and Kitchen Complete on June 2. He will be sentenced at the conclusion of his son's trial.

Ricin is a toxin that is extracted from the castor bean and exposure to small quantities can be fatal. The US Centre for Disease Control suggests as little as 500 micrograms - about half a grain of sand - of the substance can be lethal if injected or inhaled. It has no known antidote.

Independent

White supremacist admits producing ricin for terrorism

A white supremacist today admitted producing deadly ricin while preparing for acts of terrorism. Ian Davison's home in Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham, was raided by anti-terror officers who found the killer substance in a jam jar in his kitchen.

At Newcastle Crown Court he admitted producing a chemical weapon - ricin - and preparing for acts of terrorism. He also admitted three charges of possessing a record containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism. The charge related to copies of three texts including The Anarchist's Handbook, which detailed instructions on making explosives.

Davison, who wore a pale blue, short-sleeved shirt and was flanked by four prison officers, also admitted possession of a prohibited weapon which related to a spray canister found during the raid on his home. He will be sentenced after the trial of his son Nicky Davison, 19, who denies two charges of possessing material containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing acts of terrorism. The case will be heard on April 12.

The father, a truck driver and ex-DJ, was remanded in custody and Judge John Milford warned him: "Doubtless you have been told only custody can follow."

Nicky Davison was granted bail until his trial.

Independent

Nerve poison ricin feared at suspect's home

Traces of the deadly poison ricin may have been discovered at the house of a suspected white supremacist, police said today.

Anti-terror officers raided the home of Ian Davison in Myrtle Grove, Burnopfield, County Durham on Tuesday. Since the 41-year-old former pub DJ's arrest under the Terrorism Act 2000 forensic officers have been examining the terraced property.

Assistant Chief Constable Michael Barton said: "Specialist police officers have been carrying out a meticulous search of the property which is a 'two-up two-down' terraced house. They have uncovered a substance, which we believe has traces of Ricin. It was in a sealed jam jar that has been kept in a kitchen cupboard - apparently for up to two years. Tests on the substance were carried out at a Government laboratory in Edinburgh on Thursday."

Speaking at a press conference at the force HQ in Durham City, Mr Barton added: "Specialists from the Ministry of Defence establishment at Porton Down are due in Durham today to discuss the safe transfer of the substance to their laboratories for further tests. That transfer will take place under a police or military escort and their report should be finalised in the next few days.

"Purely as a precautionary measure the search of the house has been halted for the time being. The property is cordoned off and remains secure and under police guard. Specialist help has been offered by government agencies. Durham Police is liaising with them and will continue to work closely with our local partners and other services until this is over."

Davison was being quizzed by officers from Durham Police and the North East Counter Terrorism Unit at a police station in West Yorkshire. Also arrested in Tuesday's operation was Davison's teenage son Nicky, 18, who was held on suspicion of inciting racial hatred following a swoop at his home in Grampian Court, Annfield Plain. However, he has since been re-arrested and is also now detained under the Terrorism Act in West Yorkshire.

Durham Police said the arrests followed a long-running intelligence-led operation against extreme right-wing activity.

Mr Barton continued: "Because of the find the search of the house will be continued by officers in specialist protective clothing. That search is likely to last for several days. There may be other suspicious items in the property. Staff are on a heightened state of alert to what could be found and a cordon will remain in place until experts confirm there are no further suspicious substances at the address.

"Immediate neighbours to the house, who are fully supportive of the police operation, are being spoken to about the latest developments. They are being given advice and will be kept fully informed. On scientific advice we are told there is no need for them to be evacuated. I would again like to reassure people in Burnopfield that the substance found was sealed in an airtight container prior to its removal.

"As such no one is believed to have been exposed to the substance or be at risk of any potential ill-effects. We do not believe that there is any risk to public health. Public safety remains our priority and we are grateful for the ongoing patience and co-operation of local people while these inquiries are concluded."

Ricin has been used in plots by suspected al Qaida operatives and can be fatal if when inhaled, ingested or - most dangerously - injected. It is made from the beans of the castor oil plant and is 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide. Experts say that 70mg or two millionths of an ounce - roughly equivalent to the weight of a single grain of salt - is enough to kill an adult.

To cause mass casualties ricin would need to be either used in aerosol form or as an additive to food or drink. Ricin was used by the Aum cult on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 in an attack that left 12 people dead.

Independent