Three men, including two UK soldiers, charged with terror offences

Three men including two British soldiers are due to appear in court charged with terror offences after being charged with membership of a banned neo-Nazi group.

Mikko Vehvilainen, Mark Barrett and Alexander Deakin are accused of being part of the proscribed organisation National Action.

Vehvilainen, based at Sennybridge Camp, Brecon, Powys, is also charged with possessing a document containing information likely to be useful for terrorism and publishing material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, by posting comments on a website intending to stir up racial hatred.

The 32-year-old is also charged with possessing pepper spray.

Barrett, 24, who is based at Gaza Crescent, Dhekelia Garrison, Cyprus, faces a single charge of membership of National Action, contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000.

Deakin, from Beacon Road, Great Barr in Birmingham, faces the same charge as well as possession of documents likely to be useful to a person preparing to commit an act of terrorism, and distribution of a terrorist publication.

The 22-year-old is also charged with inciting racial hatred concerning National Action stickers posted at Aston University campus in Birmingham in July last year.

The three men will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

West Midlands Police said the arrests last week were “pre-planned and intelligence-led and there was no risk to the public’s safety”.

The force said a man from Northampton and another from Ipswich, both aged 24, were released without charge on Saturday following inquiries.

Speaking to the Jewish News, ex-Commander of Forces in Afghanistan, Colonel Richard Kemp, insisted that extremism in the Army “is not a major problem and has never been”.

“Most soldiers keep away from politics and just get on with the job of defending our country which they do extremely well”.

“Because the forces reflect society there will always be isolated cases of wrong-doing in this area as in everything else. But, the cohesion of the armed forces, the discipline and the leadership mean that criminal behaviour is proportionally much less than in society as a whole, and that includes extremist activities.

“The recent arrests are an isolated case and show how seriously the army takes any form of wrongdoing amongst its members.

National Action, described by the Home Office as “virulently racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic”, became the first extreme right-wing group to be banned under terrorism laws in December 2016.

National Action, described by the Home Office as “virulently racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic”, became the first extreme right-wing group to be banned under terrorism laws in December 2016.