UK Jewish community welcomes sentencing of would-be synagogue suicide bomber

Jewish groups have welcomed the news that a 19-year-old man received a jail sentence of eight years after he planned a suicide bombing attack on a synagogue.

Mason Reynolds, a student and part-time labourer in Brighton, planned the attack as an escalation of his neo-Nazi ideology, Sky News reported citing prosecutor Naomi Parsons.

Reynolds pleaded guilty to four offences of possessing material useful for terrorism and five offences of distributing material likely to encourage terrorism.

Parsons reportedly told Winchester Crown Court that Reynolds was a neo-Nazi who believed the white race was "destined to dominate the rest of mankind."

Parsons stressed that Reynolds "does not find himself here [in court] because he has political, racial or ideological views that some may find distasteful or indeed abhorrent…He is here because he has not just held those political, racial and ideological views, he has acted on them.”

Police discovered Reynolds had copies of the Mujahideen's Explosives Handbook, the Terrorist's Handbook, and the Anarchist Cookbook on his computer, and files which would have enabled him to manufacture a 3D printed assault rifle called the FGC-9.

Reynolds had been arrested in May 2023. Police found on his persons a note on his phone entitled "Enough Larping." Larping refers to Live Action Role Play. 

The note contained a video taken of the exterior of Hove Synagogue, the address of the synagogue, and the location of the CCTV and fire exits in the synagogue.

In one image of the synagogue, he marked on the photo "quickest and efficient way in", adding it "Could be good for surprise attack."

Inspiration from pervious attacks

Reynolds extensively studied synagogues and synagogue attacks in the United States, so that he could catalogue “examples of what to expect inside.”

"The Jewish holidays that tend to have the most people in synagogues are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover,” he recorded in another note.

Reynolds had also produced images with texts reading “Make Jews Afraid Again" - a play on former US President Donald Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”

Reynolds discussed his plans with another teenager over Telegram where he said "I wanna strap multiple pipe [bombs] to my chest and blow myself up inside a synagogue… I have a plan."

He told the teenager “: "They won't let me through the buzzer door if suspicious, like Stephan Balliet." Balliet attempted a similar attack in Germany in 2019, but failed to enter the synagogue. Balliet killed 2 people.

The Community Security Trust wrote on X “CST welcomes the sentencing of Mason Reynolds, a teenage neo-Nazi who planned a suicide bomb attack on a local synagogue in Hove. We have been working closely with counter-terrorism police and Hove Hebrew Congregation to support and reassure the local community. The threat of terrorism faced by Jewish communities is the reason why security remains an essential part of Jewish communal life, and is what continues to motivate and guide CST's work.”

CST welcomes the sentencing of Mason Reynolds, a teenage neo-Nazi who planned a suicide bomb attack on a local synagogue in Hove. We have been working closely with counter-terrorism police and Hove Hebrew Congregation to support and reassure the local community. The threat of…

— CST (@CST_UK) June 14, 2024

Head of CTPSE, Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, said: “This is another case involving a young person following a toxic extreme right-wing terrorist and anti-semitic path. The fact Reynolds had such a detailed plan to attack a synagogue is really concerning.  

“However, as a result of our investigation, Reynolds was prevented from progressing the plan into action, and the public have been protected.   

“Communities have a key role to play in our work to combat terrorism. Please do continue to report things that are worrying or out of place. Even if you think it may be insignificant, it could be a vital piece of the jigsaw that stops a terrorist in their tracks.  

“If you have any concerns, you can report them to your local force by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency or you can visit the ACT early website. Reporting can save lives.”