Peter Morgan, convicted under the Terrorism Act (Photo: Police Scotland)
Hamed Chapman
A 35-year old extremist has been jailed in Scotland for a yet to be determined sentence after being caught with bomb-making equipment for an improvised explosive device as well as extreme right-wing paraphernalia including an application form to join the Ku Klux Klan.
The High Court in Edinburgh found Peter Morgan guilty of two offences under the Terrorism Act 2000 and one offence under the Explosive Substances Act 1883 after police searched his flat when a woman collapsed and died in an unrelated call-out last summer.
Among items found were a glass bottle studded with lead, shot and nail gun rounds along with explosive powder, fuses, screws and steel tacks. There was also a Nazi swastika flag, far-right literature and a German World War II dagger as well as an international form to become a “loyal white knight of the Ku Klux Klan.”
Bomb disposal expert Sergeant Liam Davies told the court that a “quite effective, viable” IED could have been made from the items discovered that could cause “horrific injury” with severe bleeding and potential death without prompt medical intervention.
Morgan had also acquired copies of an Al-Qa’ida terrorism manual, an IRA volunteers’ handbook on guerrilla warfare and works on turning guns into fully automatic weapons as well as guides on improvised explosives and interrogation techniques. He was said to be “quite proud” that he was part of the Scottish Defence League and travelled with others from the far-right group to a white pride rally in Manchester in 2015.
He was found to have convictions dating back two decades and Judge Lord Boyd decided to remand him in custody in order for the court to obtain reports about his character. “I could sentence you today but I prefer to obtain a full report about your background. I will refrain from making comments about the offences to which you have been convicted of,” the court was told.
Analysis from his computer included a PDF of the Turner Diaries, a novel seen as the bible of the racist right in America. Morgan was also found to have sent Islamophobic messages, expressing his hatred for Muslims regardless if they were White, Black or Asian.
