Far-right groups sharing bomb and gun-making guides and discuss 'sacrifice', LBC investigation finds

8 January 2025, 16:47 | Updated: 9 January 2025, 08:38

By LBC

@LBC

An LBC investigation has revealed far-right Telegram channels sharing bomb and gun-making guides, alongside detailed information about Islamic centres.

Some users in these groups seen by LBC have openly expressed a willingness to carry out attacks, raising significant concerns about the potential for far-right terrorism.

Worryingly, some of the chat groups discuss the necessity of 'sacrifice' to achieve their goals.

LBC was able to uncover this information within 45 minutes.

A former bomb disposal officer confirmed the manuals would have been able to make a viable explosive device.

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The findings come days after a landmark sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court, where Andrew McIntyre, a 39-year-old taxi driver from Rufford, was jailed for seven and a half years.

His Telegram channel, "Southport Wake Up," was described as a "catalyst" for riots that erupted following the tragic stabbing of three girls at a children’s dance class in Southport last summer.

One online social media channel identified in the LBC investigation is rife with disturbing content.

This includes:

• Guides for constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and their use.
• Recipes for homemade Napalm and how to create petrol/Napalm bombs and then use them.
• How to create homemade firearms.
• Maps and addresses of Islamic centres.
• Open calls for violence, with some users claiming readiness to act on their threats.

Messages in these channels frequently include hate-filled rhetoric targeting migrants and Muslims, potentially fuelling the same type of incitement that led to the violence in Southport.

The groups call for 'strikes on objectives' rather than protests which could see arrests made and lengthy prison sentences in the wake of the Southport disorder.

One of the chats even featured videos of users burning the Quran.

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Jonathan Hall KC, the Independent Reviewer of State Threats Legislation and Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation told LBC's Tom Swarbrick that he was more worried about lone actors on the far-right than groups.

But he also warned that he was always worried about the risk of "violence spillover".

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LBC contacted the Home Office for comment.

The case of Andrew McIntyre shows how social media platforms can be used to incite violence.

Following the tragic knife attack on 29 July, McIntyre's "Southport Wake Up" channel became a hub for misinformation and inflammatory posts.

Prosecutors told the court the channel was pivotal in inciting unrest, with McIntyre’s posts encouraging violent disorder across Merseyside and beyond. The riots, which erupted after the incident, were described as having a "sinister aspect," pointing to coordinated violence driven by online radicalisation.

The group Hope Not Hate identified McIntyre’s channel as central to spreading disinformation and inflammatory rhetoric.

The trial highlighted the role of far-right influencers in mobilising real-world violence through digital platforms.