A Cardiff-based neo-Nazi who admitted various terror offences received a prison sentence of over four years last week.
Kristen Persen, 22, entered guilty pleas last month for ten charges – six concerned sharing terrorism material – a Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006 offence – and four counts in breach of Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (collection terrorism information).
His arrest on November 30, 2022, followed a joint investigation between counter-terror police in the West Midlands and Wales.
Following news of his jailing, it emerged that counter-terror officers found books and manuals on a laptop to build firearms, explosives, and detonators.
Also amongst the litany of white supremacist propaganda, officers found material glorifying banned neo-Nazi terror groups and racist materials targeting Jewish and other minority groups.
Other white supremacist materials found at the Cardiff address included neo-Nazi clothing, flags and stickers.
In a statement, Detective Chief Superintendent Anastasia Miller, who leads Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands CTU, made clear that: “We work tirelessly to secure convictions of individuals such as Persen who pose a significant threat to communities across the country.
“Extremists use this kind of ideology to create discord, distrust and fear among our communities and we strive to counter this. As a result of these investigations, we have seen a significant increase of right-wing referrals to our Prevent programme.
“Our proactive efforts to confront the threat posed by extreme right-wing terrorism continues.”
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Williams, Head of Investigations at Counter Terrorism Policing Wales, welcomed the jailing of Kristen Persen by stating: Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Williams, Head of Investigations at Counter Terrorism Policing Wales stated:
“We welcome the outcome of the court process, which is the result of a lengthy and extremely detailed joint investigation between Counter Terrorism officers in both Wales and the West Midlands.
“It clearly demonstrates the benefits and strengths of a collective approach to what are often very complex cases to investigate. The safety and the security of the public is at the heart of everything we do, and our officers and staff rightly go to great lengths to meet that objective. The outcome of the court case helps us ensure that continues to be the case.”