Racist ex-soldier who threatened to behead a Muslim a day is jailed

Published on Wednesday 6 April 2011 19:04

A RACIST former soldier who threatened to bomb Glasgow Central Mosque and behead a Muslim every day has been jailed for 12 months.

Neil MacGregor, 38, made the threats in an e-mail and a series of telephone calls to Strathclyde Police, which led to an anti-terrorism operation being launched.

He claimed to be a member of the National Front and said he would execute Muslims on a daily basis unless every mosque in Scotland was closed down.

MacGregor, from Scrimgeour Court, Crieff, claimed he had been upset after watching video footage of someone being beheaded in Iraq on an internet clip.

Fiscal depute John Malpass told Perth Sheriff Court yesterday: "An e-mail was received in which he made numerous threats against Muslim people and demanded the closure of all mosques in Scotland."

MacGregor told police: "As a wee extra, one of our members will donate a Semtex plastic explosive with a box of nails in it, sometime on Friday night at the Central Mosque."

Mr Malpass said: "Because of the nature of the threat, anti-terrorist officers were notified. Enquiries were made in relation to the source of the emails.

"The IP address was identified and traced to the accused's home address. Police attended the Central Mosque and carried out a search which proved negative."

MacGregor then made 999 calls from a public call box during which he claimed to be a member of the National Front and again said there was a bomb at the Central Mosque.

MacGregor was arrested and detained at his former flat in Glasgow and admitted making the threats during a series of contacts with Strathclyde Police between 30 January and 15 February 2007.

He was originally placed on probation for three years, but yesterday he admitted breaching probation.

Solicitor Craig Dewar, defending, said: "He viewed an internet clip of a beheading in Iraq which caused him to react in the manner described. He made threats but had absolutely no intention of carrying out these threats.

"He served in the military for a period of time. He may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"He complied with the order for around a year. He then travelled to London and made no further contact. He was living with his partner in London."

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis, revoking probation and jailing him for a year, said: "In this day and age to carry out the conduct he did in 2007 is an extremely serious matter.

"It was a matter which the authorities, not surprisingly, took very seriously and reacted to in the manner described."

MacGregor, who is originally from Derbyshire, had his sentence for racially breaching the peace backdated to last month when he was arrested.

When MacGregor initially admitted the offence at Glasgow Sheriff Court, his email was read out. In it he said: "I'm a proud racist and National Front member."We as an organisation have decided to deal with the current threat from Muslims in our own British way Our demands are very small. Close all mosques in Scotland.

"If our demands aren't met by next Friday, we'll kidnap one Muslim and execute him or her on the internet, just like they did to our Ken Bigley."