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LONDON: Three men in the UK have been convicted of planning terror attacks on mosques and synagogues. 

Christopher Ringrose, 34, Marco Pitzettu, 25, and Brogan Stewart, 25, were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday. They will serve a combined total of 29 years in prison.

The trio were arrested by counterterrorism police after plotting an attack on an Islamic education center in the city of Leeds in 2024.

Officers found they had amassed a cache of more than 200 weapons, including machetes, swords and crossbows. Ringrose had also made parts for a semi-automatic FGC-9 Mk II firearm using a 3D printer, which was close to being completed.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC said the three wanted a race war and adhered to “an extreme right-wing Nazi ideology,” and that the firearm would have been “used to devastating consequences.”

He added that they were actively trying to recruit people and source other weapons to form a militant group using right-wing online communities, with Stewart, the self-appointed leader, telling undercover police officers in a group chat: “I want to get my own group together because action speaks louder than words.”

Officers successfully penetrated the group in January 2024. Later that month, in a group call, they discussed a plan to “cruise around” looking for “human targets” near an Islamic education center in Leeds, “do whatever we do, then back … for tea and medals and a debrief.”

The jury heard they also planned to acquire uniforms and had discussed other targets, including mosques and synagogues. They made plans to “hang out, bring ourselves closer together and just cement that brotherhood” on Feb. 18, having never previously met in person.

Officers detained them on Feb. 20 when they believed the attack was imminent.

Sandiford said the trio decided to attack the center in Leeds with the “intention to commit acts of extremism which involved killing multiple victims.”

Jurors rejected claims that the three were fantasists with no intention of attacking anyone and convicted them of preparing acts of terrorism and of collecting information likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism. Ringrose was also convicted of manufacturing an illegal weapon.

The presiding judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, said she believed the three still adhered to their far-right ideology.

Stewart, from West Yorkshire, was sentenced to 11 years in jail. Ringrose, from Staffordshire, was sentenced to 10 years. Pitzettu, from Derbyshire, was sentenced to eight years.

The head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, DCS James Dunkerley, said the three “idolized the Nazi party, they’ve glorified mass murders, and they share a hatred of groups such as the Jewish community and the Muslim community.”

He added: “I genuinely believe had we not taken action, this group could’ve carried out a violent attack and the consequences of that attack could’ve been fatal.”

JAKARTA: Indonesia is looking to deepen its labor relations with Qatar through joint job training and exchange of expertise following talks between their manpower ministers, the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower said on Friday.

More than 37,000 Indonesians live and work in Qatar, making it one of the top 10 destinations for Indonesian migrant workers. Most are employed in the energy, hospitality and construction sectors.

Earlier this week, Indonesia’s Manpower Minister Yassierli held a meeting with his Qatari counterpart, Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, on the sidelines of the Islamic Conference of Labor Ministers in Doha, where they discussed ways to strengthen labor ties.

“Indonesia and Qatar have big opportunities to build a more concrete and mutually beneficial partnership, whether through joint job training, internship programs, as well as exchange of expertise in the areas of productivity and work safety,” Yassierli said in a statement issued by his office.

Jakarta is keen on creating new opportunities for its young workforce through government-to-government special apprenticeship visa or intra-corporate transfer programs with Qatar’s leading companies, such as Qatar Airways and QatarEnergy.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is also seeking further collaboration with Qatar on job training in the farming and construction sectors.

“With the spirit of collaboration and solidarity among OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) countries, we can create a world of work that is inclusive, equitable, and oriented towards the welfare of the workforce,” Yassierli said.

His meeting in Doha this week follows talks between senior officials of Indonesia’s Ministry of Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection and Qatar’s Ministry of Labor in July, where they discussed the potential for more Qatari recruitment of Indonesian workers.

Increasing labor cooperation has been one of the main focuses in the growth of Indonesia-Qatar relations in recent years.

Earlier in April, sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia announced the formation of a $4 billion joint fund with the Qatar Investment Authority, an initiative that will focus on projects in Indonesia’s downstream industries and sectors that process Indonesian commodities, including renewables.