A man who reportedly believes that the government is controlled by a “Jewish elite” was convicted of terror charges on Monday.
Oliver Lewin, 38, from Coalville, Leicestershire, pleaded not guilty to a charge of preparing terrorist acts at Birmingham Crown Court last month.
However, despite Mr Lewin’s denial that he was planning on carrying out reconnaissance of potential targets, buying equipment, creating hideouts, and attempting to recruit others, he has been found guilty of plotting to topple the Government.
The defendant’s targets included transmitter masts and transport infrastructure.
Mr Lewin was said to have posted messages in a channel on the social media platform Telegram, which had been infiltrated by police officers, where he issued a “call to arms” and suggested “fire-bombing” sheds in the Sutton Coldfield of Birmingham.
During the trial last month, prosecutor Annabel Darlow KC said: “That is one of the UK’s most important transmission sites and is in fact the main broadcasting site for the Birmingham and West Midlands area, supporting TV and radio broadcasting services for many millions of users.”
Ms Darlow added that “Mr Lewin, in fact, stated his goal was to topple the British government. He believed that it was dominated by a Jewish elite who took orders from Israel…He saw the spread of coronavirus across the world as triggering what he termed the emergence of a Chinese Communist system.”
Mr Lewin reportedly admitted that he had purchased equipment, however, he allegedly told officers that he had no intention of carrying out an attack, arguing that he was just a “fantasist” engaging in “role play”.
According to the prosecution, Mr Lewin additionally said that he believed “white people across Europe were being systematically killed by the vaccine” in a “planned genocide”.
During a search of Mr Lewin’s address, police discovered an uncompleted manual, entitled “Civilian Resistance Operations Manual”.
In the manual, Mr Lewin wrote: “What we can be certain of is that we are seeing the emergence of a Chinese Communist system that is ever accelerating with rapidity. We are not a Communist country and should fight with everything we have to prevent it.”
After the trial, West Midlands Head of Counter Terrorism policing Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Payne, said: “Lewin claimed he was a fantasist but it is clear he took the steps to carry out reconnaissance of targets to attack, bought equipment and tools, dug hide-outs and tried to recruit and train others.
“He wanted to advance a political cause by damaging property and wiping out media organisations. Extremists use this kind of ideology to create discord, distrust and fear among our communities and we strive to counter this.”
Earlier this year, a study found that about half of all references to the Holocaust on the encrypted messaging service, Telegram, either distort the facts about the genocide of the Jewish people, or deny that it happened at all.
