Former Cambridge maths student, 24, who called for the extermination of Jews faces 15 years in jail after being found guilty of having bomb-making manual
- Oliver Bel was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court Crown on Thursday
- The 24-year-old Cambridge graduate will be remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing
- During his trial, Bel admitted to owning The Anarchist Cookbook but claimed it was for academic interest
A former Cambridge University student has been found guilty under terrorism legislation of possessing a bomb-making manual.
Oliver Bel, 24, faces up to 15 years in prison for having The Anarchist Cookbook at his home in Salford in November 2019.
During his trial at Manchester Crown Court, the maths graduate admitted to having owned the book but claimed it was for academic interest.
A former Cambridge University student has been found guilty under terrorism legislation of possessing a bomb-making manual. Oliver Bel, 24, faces up to 15 years in prison for having the Anarchist Cookbook at his home in Salford in November 2019
The jury on Thursday took just over three hours to reach an unanimous guilty verdict.
Bel made no discernible reaction as the verdict was read out, the Oldham Times reported. He will be remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
Over the course of the trial the court heard how Bel was in contact with the banned neo-Nazi group National Action.
Several high profile members of the group attended his trial, HOPE not hate reported.
The court also heard that Bel advocated for the extermination of Jews on the fascist web forum Iron March.
On the site, Bel also falsely claimed that 200,000 Jewish people had been killed during the Holocaust. The actual figure is six million.
He had also expressed a desire to go on a ‘spree’.
Over the course of the trial the court heard how Bel was in contact with the banned neo-Nazi group National Action. The court also heard that Bel advocated for the extermination of Jews on the fascist web forum Iron March
In November 2019 an anonymous individual uploaded the site’s database, allowing journalists and officials to identify many of its users.
Following the publication by HOPE not hate of blogs relating to Bel’s posts on the forum, his home was raided.
He was found to be in possession of The Anarchist Cookbook, an infamous 1971 publication which includes instructions on how to make homemade bombs and drugs such as LSD.
The Anarchist Cookbook is an infamous 1971 publication which includes instructions on how to make homemade bombs and drugs such as LSD
While possessing the book is not illegal in itself in the UK, it has been used as evidence in several terrorism cases.
In 2017, student Joshua Walker was cleared of possessing terrorist information after a copy of the book he had printed out for a university role playing game was found in his flat.
Walker had travelled to Syria in 2016 to join the YPG Kurdish militia group fighting ISIS and was arrested on his return to the UK and his flat was searched.
‘Oliver Bel is a nazi. He thought that his wild, racist ranting would go undetected on the online Iron March forum,’ HOPE not hate’s Head of Intelligence Matthew Collins said in a statement following Thursday’s verdict.
‘When his vile, violent writing was uncovered by HOPE not hate, he threatened us with legal action and with violence.
‘His conviction is welcome, and shows once again that the far right in this country continues to pose a growing terror threat.’
Bel is the 62nd far-right activist or sympathiser convicted of terror offences since 2017, according to the advocacy group.
‘A disturbing number of far-right terror cases are now coming before the courts – there are 11 trials pending – many of which involve individuals not (always) active ‘members’ of groups, but interacting through a complex network of online extremist forums and platforms,’ it said in the statement.