A far-right extremist who glorified the Christchurch terrorist received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for terrorism offences at Birmingham Crown Court.
44-year-old Edward Griffiths sent copies of the terror attacks in New Zealand that resulted in the murder of 51 Muslims to two individuals, declaring his desire to replicate it and go on a killing spree.
On social media, Griffiths called the Christchurch terrorist a “hero”.
Neither the prosecution nor police allege that he plotted any attack, but how his actions might encourage acts of terrorism – convicting him instead on one count of the encouragement of terrorism and two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication.
Griffiths committed the offences between November 2021 and the following summer, as officers from Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands arrested him at his home in Whitwick, Coalville in June 2022.
Charges followed in May 2023, and a guilty verdict followed last month at Birmingham Crown Court.
Detective Inspector Glynn Jehu, from Counter Terrorism Policing – East Midlands, said in a statement: “Fifty one people lost their lives in the Christchurch attacks. Spreading messages of extreme hate and violence in the way that Griffiths did is dangerous, reckless and could easily have encouraged others to commit an act of terrorism.
“It was therefore important that we stopped this by acting on information received, investigating the communications fully and bringing Griffiths before the courts.”
Tell MAMA continues to extensively cover far-right convictions that took inspiration from or praised the Christchurch terrorist.
Edward Griffiths joins a list of over twenty individuals.