Essex teenager said balaclava-clad gunmen are 'coming to England soon'

Alfie Coleman, of Great Notley, was detained outside a Morrisons supermarket after he exchanged £3,500 for a Marakov gun and ammunition, the Old Bailey has heard.

The former Tesco worker was 19 at the time he was detained by counter terrorism police in a Morrisons car park back in 2023.

Captured - The moment he was approached by armed police in the Morrisons car park (Image: Crown Prosecution Services) Days before, Coleman engaged in an encrypted chat on Wire about the troubles in Northern Ireland, the Old Bailey heard yesterday. 

He posted a picture of a man armed with an automatic gun, wearing a balaclava in the street, alongside the caption: “Coming soon here my man.”

Prosecutor Nicholas De La Poer QC said: “You were saying before too long, terrorists, men in balaclavas carrying automatic weapons, would be walking through the streets of England and people would be supportive of it.”

Coleman told jurors: “At face value that’s what it seems like. I don’t remember why I said it.”

Alfie Coleman pictured on CCTV at Stratford station (Image: Metropolitan Police) After posting the image, Coleman went on to write: “I do not think we will have outward support like they had.

“All we would need is for people to look the other way. Only way that can be achieved is by people being more scared of us than the cops so they do not say what they see.”

Mr De La Poer suggested Coleman referring to himself and “other militant accelerationists”, is a form of right-wing extremism.

The defendant replied: “Putting two and two together it could be interpreted in that way. Me and other like-minded people. I do not remember this conversation.”

The prosecutor went on: “You are talking about being part of a group that terrifies the civilian population, aren’t you?”

Coleman said: “That’s what the message says but I do not remember this conversation.”

He denied his interest in history and weaponry was focused on Nazi Germany, the Second World War and other areas of interest to the extreme right wing.

Alfie Coleman was allegedly snared by an undercover officer from MI5 (Image: Crown Prosecution Services) Asked about his own manifesto, Coleman told jurors: “This is me having pretty bad intrusive thoughts and me writing stuff that is going on in my head. This is the extent, to me. I never intended it to be shared with anyone.”

The defendant was asked about a slogan stating: “Save the bees, plant more trees, clean the seas, shoot refugees.”

Coleman denied being an 'eco-fascist' but accepted he held those views at the time and he saw them as linked.

He was asked about his possession of the manifesto of extreme right-wing terrorist Brenton Tarrant, who stormed two mosques in New Zealand and killed 51 people in 2019.

Coleman declined to say he viewed himself as an 'ethno-nationalist', saying he did not like to “put a label on things”.

Mr De La Poer said: “You did view there being a link between whatever extreme right-wing views you held and the environment?”

The defendant replied: “My interest in the environment and participation in group chat are two distinct things.”

Court - Alfie Coleman (Image: Crown Prosecution Services) Coleman has accepted having a significant quantity of extreme right-wing material and has pleaded guilty to possessing 10 documents which contain information likely to be useful to terrorists.

He does not dispute writing a text bearing similarities to manifestos written by convicted extreme right-wing terrorists nor that he engaged in chat on Telegram and Wire with people who proclaimed extreme right-wing views and idolised Hitler, jurors have heard.

The defendant, now aged 21, has admitted attempting to possess both a firearm and ammunition but denies he was preparing for a terrorist attack.

The Old Bailey trial continues.