A white supremacist with ‘a deep-seated hatred of black, Jewish, Muslim and especially gay people’ was planning a ‘murderous attack’ on a Pride event using a machete and an axe, a court has heard.
Ethan Stables, 20, was planning acts of terrorism against groups he hated, prosecutors told Leeds Crown Court.
In June last year, he had allegedly assembled a machete, knives, an axe, an air rifle and a ball bearing gun when he became ‘enraged’ about a planned LGBT Pride event at the New Empire pub in his home town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
Jonathan Sandiford, prosecuting, said Stables was arrested as he was on his way to what the prosecution believe was a final reconnaissance visit to the pub before returning to his home his weapons.
The jury heard Stables was arrested after sending messages to other far right extremists on a far-right Facebook group saying he would ‘slaughter every one’ of the people at the LGBT event.
Ethan Stables, 20, planned to attack a Pride event at the New Empire pub (pictured) in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, after seven months of planning, Leeds Crown Court heard
One worried member of the private group chat rang the police and posted a warning on Twitter about Stables’ intentions, the court heard.
Police responded with an armed operation to protect the event in Barrow.
Mr Sandiford said Stables was a ‘white supremacist and Nazi – a supporter of Adolf Hitler, if you will’.
‘He had a deep-seated hatred of black, Jewish, Muslim and especially gay people,’ the prosecutor said.
‘Between 2016 and his arrest in 2017 he was planning and preparing to commit acts of terrorism directed towards members of these groups but, primarily, directed towards people who were lesbian or gay.’
Mr Sandiford said Stables spent seven months researching firearms and explosives and had begun to acquire material to build an improvised explosive device.
He said: ‘His purpose in these acts of preparation was to launch a murderous attack on members of these communities. In particular, the prosecution suggest, people who were gay.’
The prosecution claimed Stables was a ‘white supremacist and Nazi – a supporter of Adolf Hitler, if you will’ with a deep-seated hatred of black, Jewish, Muslim and gay people (file photo)
The prosecutor told the jury of seven men and five women how Stables became ‘enraged’ when he heard about the Pride event planned at the New Empire pub on June 23.
He said Stables began to take photographs of the pub ‘with a view to launching an attack later that evening.’
Unemployed Stables, from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, had a history of depression, the prosecutor told the court.
He allegededly made internet searches related to ‘the terrorist group National Action, preparing for a “Race War” and “How to be a terrorist”.’
The jury heard Stables had also made internet searches for ‘n****r jokes’, ‘setting gays on fire’, and ‘fascist haircuts’.
Prosecutor Mr Sandiford showed the jury photographs recovered from Stables’ phone which showed him posing in front of a Swastika flag hung on the wall in his flat.
The jury also saw a series of other recovered photographs, including a picture with the caption ‘n****r lyncher’ and a White Wolf with the words ‘Keep Britain White’.
Stables, of Egerton Court, Barrow, denies one count of preparing terrorist acts and one of making threats to kill.
The trial continues.
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