Man accused of Fife terror offences to stand trial next month

A man is to stand trial next month accused of preparing to commit acts of terrorism and suggesting online that he planned to attack a Fife Islamic centre.

Prosecutors claim Sam Imrie, 24, acquired knives, nunchucks, a hammer, a baseball bat, a rifle scope and petrol, which he referred to as his “arsenal”, between June 20 and July 4 2019.

He is accused of posting online statements indicating he planned to stream live footage of “an incident” and posting statements suggesting he was going to carry out an attack on the Fife Islamic Centre in Glenrothes.

It is also alleged he recorded and compiled details of terrorist attacks on places of worship.

Fife Islamic Centre in Glenrothes

Imrie denied all the charges against him when he initially appeared at the High Court in Glasgow in December 2019.

He will stand trial at the High Court in Edinburgh on October 4 following another preliminary hearing in Paisley.

It is alleged by the Crown that Imrie engaged in conduct in preparation at various places in Glenrothes and Markinch in Fife and elsewhere between June 20 and July 4 2019.

Prosecutors claim he repeatedly tried to get into the Fife Islamic Centre and uploaded photographs and video footage of the centre, and also set fire to property in Thornton and at a cemetery in Markinch.

They allege he went to the Fife Islamic Centre in a car with a can of petrol, carried out observations there and made recordings of the centre and surrounding area on his phone.

It is alleged he also created and possessed Nazi, neo-Nazi, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and other racist or violent images, text and audio files plus a quantity of images which glorified terrorism, and that he was also in possession of texts by convicted terrorists Anders Breivik and Brenton Tarrant.

Imrie is also accused of publishing or causing another person to publish statements, images and video footage on Facebook and Telegram glorifying terrorist acts committed by others, making offensive comments about the Muslim and Jewish communities and uttering racial remarks with the intention of directly or indirectly encouraging the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism between June 22 2018 and July 4 2019.

It is alleged the offences were racially aggravated and were aggravated by religious prejudice.

Prosecutors also allege Imrie collected information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism between June 20 and July 4 2019.

Imrie faces two charges under the Terrorism Act 2006 and one under the Terrorism Act 2000.

He is also accused of possessing “extreme pornographic images” depicting sexual activity involving a human corpse between June 28 and July 5 2019.

It is also alleged he took or permitted to be taken, or made, indecent photos or pseudo-photographs of children and that he was in possession of such photographs between June 15 and July 5 2019 at an address in Glenrothes.

He faces nine charges in total, including one of driving while unfit through drink or drugs on July 4 2019.

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