'Proud racist' ex-soldier who threatened to blow up Glasgow Central Mosque jailed

A racist former soldier who threatened to bomb Glasgow Central Mosque and behead a Muslim every day was jailed for 12 months on Wednesday.

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

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, of Scrimgeour Court, Crieff, claimed he had been upset after watching footage of someone being beheaded in Iraq on the internet.

He was originally placed on probation for three years for the offence, but admitted breaching probation by disappearing to London after completing only one third of it.

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

“Because of the nature of the threat, senior officers and 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."

Bomb

MacGregor then made 999 calls from a public call box in 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 January 30 and February 15, 2007.

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."

In his email to police in 2007 MacGregor, who originally hails from Melbourne, Derbyshire, claimed he was a "proud racist".

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