LONDON: A man who owned a collection of bomb-making manuals, far-right memorabilia and video footage of the Christchurch mosque shootings has been convicted of terror offenses in the UK. Nicholas Brock, 53, was found guilty of three charges of possessing information useful for terrorism.

During a raid on his home in the town of Maidenhead in 2019, police officers found three banned documents in a folder on a hard drive labeled “military files.” It contained manuals for an AK47 assault rifle, others for US Army pistol training, and a copy of a document known as the “Al-Qaeda Manual.”

Police also found electronic documents with instructions for making explosives and attacking people with knives. Brock also had videos of beheadings and unedited video footage filmed by convicted terrorist Brenton Tarrant as he shot and killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019. He had a collection of anti-Muslim and racist memes saved in a folder on another electronic device, Kingston Crown Court heard, and he owned Nazi weaponry and memorabilia, along with other white-supremacist material.

When questioned by the police, he claimed he was not interested in far-right ideology but simply a military collector who focused on the First and Second World Wars.

Emma Gargitter, prosecuting, told the court that Brock’s room in the house where he lived with his mother, was “filled to the brim with an eclectic mix of items, among them items demonstrating an interest in extreme right-wing and white-supremacist ideology.”

Brock had “no legitimate reason for possessing such information” and was not “an academic or a self-defense specialist,” Gargitter said.

“These are not everyday items or collectible memorabilia but publications which contain detailed advice on how to create explosive devices, on how to kill and how to maim,” she added.

“They may of course be of use to someone planning any kind of violent attack, and they would certainly be of use to someone planning a terrorist attack.”

Edward Butler, defending, argued that possession of such material is not enough to suggest that Brock would have committed a terrorist attack.

“Some of the material we have viewed, and the allegations against Mr. Brock, are unpleasant and appalling,” he told the jury. “But this is not enough evidence to suggest that Mr. Brock is a terrorist, or in any way does it prove that he was going to commit a terror attack, and that’s what you have to consider.”

Brock remains in custody and will be sentenced in May.

BOULDER, United States: Police on Tuesday identified the 21-year-old suspect accused of killing 10 people - including a policeman - in a hail of bullets at a Colorado supermarket, marking the United States' second mass shooting in a week and adding to the state's tragic history of deadly massacres.
The suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa of Arvada, Colorado, stormed the King Soopers outlet in Boulder armed with an assault-style rifle and a handgun and wearing a tactical vest, all of which were recovered after Monday's shooting, according to an arrest affidavit filed by police. The affidavit also said law enforcement databases show Alissa purchased an AR-15 type of assault rifle on March 16.
Alissa was released from a hospital, where he was treated for a leg wound suffered in an exchange of gunfire with responding police, and transported to county jail on Tuesday afternoon to await an initial court appearance on murder and other charges. His criminal history shows a single charge for third-degree assault in 2018, according to the affidavit.
Authorities said they were confident he acted alone, though they did not offer any details on what might have motivated him to open fire at the store, about 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Denver.
"It would be premature for us to draw any conclusions at this time," Michael Schneider, the agent in charge of the FBI's field office in Denver, said at a news briefing.
The 10 victims range in age from 20 to 65 and include Eric Talley, an 11-year veteran of the Boulder police force. Talley, 51, was the father of seven children and had recently been looking for a less dangerous job, according to a statement released by his father.
Police identified the nine other victims as Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikky Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.
Monday's attack, which began around 2:40 p.m., drew hundreds of police officers to the scene and sent terrified shoppers and employees fleeing for safety amid the sound of gunfire.
Colorado has been the site of some of the most shocking episodes of gun violence in U.S. history, including the 2012 mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora and the 1999 rampage at Columbine High School near Littleton.
The latest bloodshed came only six days after a gunman went on a killing spree on March 16 in the Atlanta area, fatally shooting eight people at three day spas before he was arrested.
"My heart aches today," Colorado Governor Jared Polis said on Tuesday. "Flags had barely been raised back to full-mast after the tragic shooting in Atlanta that claimed eight lives, and now a tragedy here close to home at a grocery store that could be any of our neighborhood grocery stores."
The two mass shootings are likely to intensify pressure on President Joe Biden to fulfill his campaign pledge to enact tougher gun limits. But legislation to ban assault weapons and tighten background checks have stalled amid Republican opposition in Congress.
"I don't need to wait another minute, let alone another hour, to take common sense steps that will save lives in the future," Biden said at the White House on Tuesday. "This is not and should not be a partisan issue."
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leaders in Congress, both said on Tuesday that the violence again underscored the need for stricter gun laws.
Biden also ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff in honor of the victims; they had just been raised at sunset on Monday after having been lowered following the Atlanta killings.
Details about Alissa were slowly emerging on Tuesday. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Syria, according to two U.S. law enforcement officials briefed on the matter.
Ali Aliwi Alissa, the alleged shooter's 34-year-old brother, told The Daily Beast that his sibling was anti-social and paranoid.
Alissa graduated from Arvada West High School in May 2018, according to Cameron Bell, a spokeswoman for the school district. Records show he was on the wrestling team during two seasons ending in 2018, she said.
An archived Facebook page that appeared to belong to Ahmad Alissa said he was interested in computer science and kickboxing. The page, which uses the name Ahmad Al Issa, features a picture of a young man in a wrestling match who resembles the suspect's mug shot.
The page, which was taken down soon after Alissa's name was disclosed, also says he studied computer engineering at Metropolitan State University of Denver and was in the Class of 2022.
The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Witnesses in Colorado described a chaotic and frightening scene inside the store during Monday's attack.
Ryan Borowski, 37, went in looking for something to satisfy a sugar craving. He had picked out a 12-pack of soda and a bag of chips when he heard shots ring out, sending him scurrying for the store's back exit.
"It was pretty terrifying," he said. "Fastest fire drill I've ever been in."