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Leader of neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for threatening antisemitism activists and journalists

A leader of the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for threatening journalists and advocates against antisemitism.

Atomwaffen Division is a paramilitary neo-Nazi group that trains its members in the use of firearms and reportedly seeks to ignite a race war in the United States. In April, the group’s leader Cameron Shea, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit three offenses against the United States: interference with federally-protected activities because of religion; mailing threatening communications; and cyberstalking. He also pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a federally protected activity because of religion.

The group made posters featuring Nazi symbols and threats, after which Mr Shea ordered the members to put them up at the homes of journalists in cities around the US, including Tampa, Seattle and Phoenix. Mr Shea also posted some himself, including one to a member of the ADL that read: “Our patience has its limits…you have been visited by your local Nazis”.

Mr Shea was sentenced on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington for federal conspiracy and hate crime charges, specifically for threatening journalists and advocates who worked to expose antisemitism. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said: “This conduct cannot be tolerated. This kind of conduct has consequences…It is so serious that it requires a serious sentence.”

Two of Mr Shea’s co-defendants also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charges and were sentenced in December. The fourth, Kaleb Cole pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in September.

In April, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, called for the proscription of the neo-Nazi group. This would make membership of the group punishable by up to ten years in prison.

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