UK soldier `obsessed` with far-right politics jailed on terror charges

USPA News - A British soldier said to have been "obsessed" with far-right politics, including the English Defence League (EDF), has been convicted of terror charges and sentenced to two years in prison after a nail bomb and an arsenal of weapons were found at his residence. Ryan McGee, 20, was arrested at an Army base in Germany last year after officers in Eccles, near the city of Manchester in northwest England, executed a warrant at his house for an unrelated investigation.

The search resulted in the discovery of a nail bomb in one of the bedrooms, causing the evacuation of a number of nearby homes. After the residence was declared safe, officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit continued their search and discovered bomb-making paraphernalia, along with an arsenal of weapons, including shotgun cartridges, imitation firearms, an air pistol, knives and components used to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Officers further found a journal in which McGee illustrated and documented his thoughts, along with material about right-wing groups and a manual which contained instructions on the manufacture of explosives and illicit drugs. McGee was also found to have ordered hydrochloric acid, acetone, filter papers, peroxide, and guides to make booby-traps and unconventional warfare. McGee was sentenced Friday to two years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to making explosives and possessing a document or record for terrorist purposes. It remains unclear, however, whether McGee was planning to use the nail bomb as part of an attack and, if so, what the target could have been. Photos released by police showed McGee wearing a t-shirt by the English Defence League, which, according to its mission statement, opposes "religiously-inspired intolerance and barbarity that are thriving amongst certain sections of the Muslim population in Britain." The group is widely considered to be racist. "McGee had in his possession a viable improvised device and the material and knowledge of how to make it. He clearly set out to make the device, which could have seriously injured or possibly killed members of the public," said Detective Superintendent Simon Barraclough. "There is no evidence of planning or intended targets but we do not underestimate the impact that McGee̢۪s actions and extremist beliefs may have had on communities across the country."