News
British soldiers appear in court over alleged membership of neo-Nazi group
Suspects charged with terror offences as part of probe into banned extremist organisation National Action
September 12, 2017 11:30
Suspects charged with terror offences as part of probe into banned extremist organisation National Action
September 12, 2017 11:30Two soldiers have appeared in court charged with terror offences as part of an investigation into the banned neo-Nazi group National Action.
Private Mark Barrett, 24, and Lance Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen, 32, were arrested on September 5 on suspicion of joining the proscribed organisation.
A third man, civilian Alexander Deakin, 22, was charged alongside them facing a string of terrorism offences between July 2015 and September 2017.
Barrett denied any involvement with National Action, entering a not guilty plea to one count of belonging to a proscribed organisation.
He had been posted to a barracks in Cyprus just five weeks before his arrest, according to his barrister Shane Hennigan.
Deakin allegedly possessed one document called 'White Resistance Manual' according to the charges, proscribed as likely to be useful to a person preparing to commit acts of terrorism.
Vehvilainen, originally from Finland, also allegedly posted abusive comments on website 'christogenea.org', as well as possessing a document called 2083 A European Declaration of Independence by Andrew Berwick.
The trio appeared iat Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning.
They will now appear at the Old Bailey on September 21.
National Action were the first right-wing terror group to be banned by new terror laws introduced in 2016.
The Home Office described them as 'virulently racist, antisemitic and homophobic'.
They gained notoriety for championing Simon Mair after he murdered Labour MP Jo Cox in June 2016.
Two other men from Northampton and Ipswich were detained and released by police following arrests by the West Midlands Police Counter Terrorism Unit last week.
Deakin's defence counsel Kevin Smallcombe indicated his client would enter not guilty pleas at a later stage.
Deakin of Beacon Road, Great Barr, Birmingham, is charged with two counts of possession of documents likely to be useful to a person preparing to commit acts of terrorism, one count distributing terrorist material and one count of
Barrett of Dhekalia Camp in Cyprus, denies one count of belonging to a proscribed organisation.
Vehvilainen, of Seenybridge Camp, Powys, is charged with one count of possession of documents likely to be useful to a person preparing to commit acts of terrorism, two counts of publishing threatening abusive comments online intending to stir up racial hatred.
He is also charged with possession of a weapon, pepper spray.
Vehvilainen and Deakin were remanded in custody, while Barrett will have a bail hearing later.
