Neo-Nazi jailed for over 22 years in UK for 'terrorist' stabbing of asylum seeker

LONDON (Reuters) - A British neo-Nazi who attempted to murder an asylum seeker and then tried to publish an extreme right-wing manifesto was jailed on Friday for more than 22 years by an English court.

Callum Parslow stabbed a man from Eritrea twice in the chest in Worcester, central England, in April 2024. He had previously researched where asylum seekers were being housed.

The 32-year-old wrote about "exterminating" asylum seekers in what prosecutors described as a terrorist manifesto, which he said would be his "duty to England" and had tried to publish on social media after the attack.

Parslow denied attempted murder, but was convicted after a trial and on Friday was sentenced to 22 years and eight months in prison.

Judge Ian Dove said that "this was undoubtedly a terrorist attack", adding it had had a lasting psychological impact on the victim.

"You were also motivated by your adoption of an extreme right neo-Nazi mindset, which fuelled your warped violent and racist views to the point at which you became willing to use and glorify violence against people in this country seeking international protection," the judge added.

After the stabbing, police found several weapons and extreme right-wing material at Parslow's address, including a Nazi flag, Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" and manifestos written by far-right terrorists.

Parslow also had Hitler's signature tattooed on his arm, jurors at his trial were told.

Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's Counter Terrorism Division, said: "This attack was carried out to intimidate a section of the public, namely asylum seekers and those providing accommodation to asylum seekers."

(Reporting by Sam Tobin.; Editing by Mark Potter)