A teenager who planned a mass murder in a terror attack at a Greenock mosque has been sentenced to ten years in prison.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, was arrested in January after police found him with an airgun and aerosol cans outside the Inverclyde Muslim Centre. The boy had planned to set fire to the building, intending to kill worshippers inside. Sentencing the teenager in Glasgow, Judge Lord Arthurson described the plot as a "quite diabolical atrocity."
The judge also ordered that the teenager serve an eight-year supervision period after his release from prison.
The Attack and Its Aftermath
The chairman of the mosque, Mohammed Akhtar, told BBC Scotland News that he had forgiven the teenager and had sympathy for his family. The boy had previously posted online about "white war" and that he would "die for my land." He had gained access to the mosque by deceiving the Imam into believing he wanted to convert to Islam, which allowed him to plan his attack.
However, police, acting on intelligence, arrested the boy, who was 16 at the time, outside the mosque. He was carrying a bag containing an airgun, which he intended to use to keep worshippers inside while he set the building on fire with aerosol cans.
Mr. Akhtar said he was shocked and saddened by what had happened but stressed that there was no place for hate crimes in the community.
"We hope the young person gets the help and assistance he needs to understand the consequences of his behaviour," he said. "We have sympathy for his family's enduring loss. Forgiveness and knowing each other are vital. That's the most important thing. Most of the problems can be solved if you know each other."
Mr. Akhtar also expressed gratitude for the police's swift response and the security assurances they have given to local residents following the thwarted attack.
Radicalisation and Planning
The High Court in Glasgow heard that the boy had been radicalised on social media since he was 13. He was "inspired" by figures such as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Norwegian neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Breivik. He had initially planned to plant bombs at his school in December of last year before deciding on the mosque.
The court was told that the boy used the Telegram messaging app to contact an acquaintance, stating, "It's good to penetrate the target, whether it's a mosque or a synagogue, as they suspect I'm one of them because I invaded the place." The boy also asked the acquaintance to live-stream the mosque burning and said this would be released with a "final" manifesto, in which he had planned the attack for when "the mosque will be at its fullest." Last month, the teenager pleaded guilty to acting with the intent to commit terrorist acts and a new charge under the Terrorism Act. The offences took place between November 2024 and January 2025.
Official Responses
Lord Arthurson told the teenager, "What you had in mind can appropriately be described as a horrific atrocity involving extreme violence and multiple deaths." He added, "You even requested that your attack be live-streamed. Your activity was only stopped by your arrest when you were clearly at the door of the centre."
Omar Afzal of the Scottish Association of Mosques commented, "This was a calculated and tragic effort to hurt innocent worshippers. Unfortunately, swift action from Police Scotland thwarted a tragedy that could have killed hundreds of people, but it has left the community shaken." He continued, "Communities cannot live in fear. The best response to hate is solidarity. However, solidarity must be balanced by policy, education, and political leadership."
Seidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), described the charges as "deeply disturbing." She said, "This heinous proposal to harm those within his own local community was both planned and motivated by racial and religious bigotry, and it revealed that he not only held Neo-Nazi beliefs but was about to take action on them, causing pain and suffering." She concluded, "Fortunately, he was apprehended and all was prevented from happening."
