According to Sky News, a former BNP candidate was jailed today for possession of a large number of chemicals including hydrogen peroxide, acetone, and hydrochloric acid, the main ingredients of TATP. This explosive acheived notoriety due to its alleged use in the 7/7 bombs and other incidents.
From Orange
A former British National Party candidate has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for possessing explosive chemicals.
Robert Cottage, 49, was cleared after two trials of conspiracy to cause explosions but had earlier pleaded guilty to amassing the chemicals. Police discovered a huge stockpile of chemicals and food at his home in Colne, Lancashire last September.
Officers mounted the operation after Cottage’s wife told a social worker she was concerned about the substances and her husband’s belief that immigrants were swamping Britain.
The court heard that Cottage feared the country was on the brink of civil war. He appeared at Manchester’s Crown Square Court to be sentenced in relation to the charge of possession.
From The Muslim News
A former British National Party (BNP) candidate and a dentist were cleared of plotting explosions on July 12, despite being accused of possessing the largest sum of chemical explosives of its type ever found domestically in Lancashire….
Former BNP candidate Robert Cottage, of Colne, and David Jackson, of Nelson, had stockpiled chemicals they bought on the internet and discussed using them to cause explosions.
The record haul included the discovery of a rocket launcher, a nuclear biological suit, BB guns, gas masks two 56 kilogram bags of sugar, a box of mini flares, 34 gas canisters, a selection of pellets and an air pistol. Officers also found a series of printed bomb recipes from The Anarchis’s Handbook, downloaded from the internet.
Lancashire police were forced to deny accusations the trial would have been handled differently if one of the terrorism suspects had been Muslim.
Well I'm not sure this illustrates much of a dichotomy between the gross over-reaction to alleged Muslim and Non-Muslim 'terrorist' offences. Seems to me that the police and courts habitually over-react to anything if the dreaded 'terrorist' word can be plausibly engaged.
I certainly have no truck with the BNP; their rascist fear-mongering is abhorent to put it at its mildest BUT.
Since when was it an offence to possess stocks of food, sugar, BB guns, Gas masks, NB Suits, mini (or any other type of) flares a selection of pellets, an air pistol (same as a BB gun really) and the anarchists hand/cook book? Aside from the amount (of sugar), the NB suit and the rocket launcher (no mention of rockets I see) I've got pretty much all of that stuff myself. The case would be a bit more credible if he had a few grenades, proper firearms, ammunition, RPG's etc. As its is the guy's just a saddo who's been made an example of – though what the lesson is that we're supposed to learn, frankly escapes me – unless it is that the State has a monopoly of force even if you can never find a copper when you need one – and you'd better believe it or else.
I reckon there are a whole lot of people beginning to stockpile stuff against what they see looming dead ahead right now – even if it only means minor ajustments to their food and energy consuming habits – See this main-stream, right of centre blog for a good example:
http://tinyurl.com/2ahb5p
Sabretache
It is not an offence to posses any of that staff BUT, on 17th July:
"A British man who was found with blueprints for a rocket in his luggage at Luton Airport has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Yassin Nassari, 28, from Ealing, west London, was earlier found guilty at the Old Bailey of possessing documents likely to be useful to a terrorist.
Sentencing him, Judge Gerald Gordon said: "I have come to the conclusion that, sadly, like a number of young Muslims, you have somehow been indoctrinated into beliefs supporting terrorism by others"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6902942.stm
It would have been handled very differently if he had been a Muslim. They would have pursued the terrorist angle and if I were a Muslim, I would hate to face a British jury right now.
ChoamNomsky & Alien.
I agree that, if your appearance is – lets say 'Mediterranean' or you talk with a non-European accent, or you are a Muslim – and especially if all three, then facing a Britsh jury when there are alleged 'terrorist' implications, no matter how tennuous, puts you at grave risk of serious injustice. Much the same considerations applied during the mainland IRA campaign (Guildford four – Birmingham six etc) when being an Irish Republican – or even Irish Catholic in the wrong place at the wrong time was enough to get you banged up for life. My wife is Irish and we lived through that time in Birmingham. It was very unpleasant indeed.
I think the Yassin Nassari case is a good illustration. There are hundreds of thousands of people who 'possess materials likely to be useful to terrorists'. It is a catchall open to all manner of interpretation and corresponding abuse by police who 'have suspicions'. So far as I can see Nassari was not planning anything and the Judge said so quite plainly:
"What he intended to do upon his return to the UK is unclear, however, it is possible that his research could have ended up in the hands of individuals or groups willing to put it into practice." Which clearly makes it a risky undertaking for anyone to conduct certain types of research I'd say.
He still got 3.5 years though. To be guilty of an offence under The Prevention of Terrorism Act (2005) it is sufficient simply to be in possession of material likely to be of use to a terrorist. Not difficult to see where all this is heading is it?
I hope I made it clear I was NOT defending the BNP in any way whatsoever