Harun Nasrullah
A far-right teenager who plotted to attack a mosque while disguised as an armed police officer was jailed on November 10.
Joe Metcalfe, who was 15 when he planned a murderous assault on the mosque in Keighley, West Yorkshire, was sentenced to 10 years for multiple charges of terror offences, rape, and coercive controlling behaviour at Leeds Crown Court.
Metcalfe, from Haworth, West Yorkshire, previously pleaded guilty to possession of a knife and four counts of disseminating terrorist publications, which included posting videos on messaging platform Telegram showing the Christchurch killings, and saying that he wanted to “bomb a mosque”.
The presiding judge ruled that Metcalfe, who is now 17, was at “high risk of posing serious harm to others through sexual behaviour and future acts of terror”.
Metcalfe, who lived with his parents, was referred to the Northeast Counter Terrorism Prevent team in 2021 after his school raised concerns about his behaviour.
The court heard that Metcalfe lied to an anti-terrorism support worker, continued to share videos relating to acts of terrorism, and wrote a “manifesto”. He also “idolised” Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people in two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 and was convicted of murder and terrorism.
Metcalfe used his father’s car to scout a mosque in Keighley on June 5, 2022, as part of a “written plan” for a terror strike.
He then crashed the car into a fence, which led to his arrest on June 21, 2022.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, he contacted a gun supplier outside the UK to have a weapon illegally delivered to him.
Barrister Peter Moulson KC, defending Metcalfe, said his client had no previous convictions but had a “lack of maturity”. Judge Cheema-Grubb KC told Metcalfe that a jury had found that he “genuinely intended to carry out an act of terrorism”.
She said, “There would certainly have been some injury caused. You had the means, and you planned it carefully. You are stuck in a racist and extremist mindset. You are a dangerous young offender.”
The court heard Metcalfe had told a probation officer he had recently converted to Islam and that he had said, “I’m really sorry about what I have done; I’m no longer a threat to anyone.”
But Judge Cheema-Grubb said, “Although everyone has the potential to change, I am not convinced there is any yet.”
Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “Although he spent time watching and sharing violent, racist, homophobic and antisemitic videos, these were not idle fantasies.
“He made a detailed plan to murder Muslims at a nearby mosque while disguised as an armed police officer, record the killings and escape.
“He stole his father’s car to carry out a reconnaissance mission, contacted a gun seller to try and secretly ship a weapon to the UK, and but for apprehension intended to carry out the attack.
“Despite his young age his beliefs and willingness to take violent action to propagate them are a threat to our society, and it is right that he has been sentenced today for those crimes.
West Yorkshire Police’s Chief Supt Richard Padwell said he appreciated the case would “understandably cause concern, particularly within our local Muslim communities”.
He said the force would “act on any intelligence that indicates a potential threat to our communities”.
Photo: Joe Metcalfe was found guilty at Leeds Crown Court of plotting a terrorist attack on a mosque (Credit: Crown Prosecution Service)
