A neo-nazi terrorist has been handed a life sentence for attempted murder after brutally attacking an asylum seeker with a knife in a Worcestershire hotel.
Callum Parslow, a Nazi-obsessed extremist, who had Hitler’s signature tattooed on his arm, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 22 years and 8 months for the attempted murder of a 25-year-old man in the Pear Tree Inn in Smite, near Worcester, in April, 2024.
Parslow, 32, was found guilty after a three-week trial at Leicester Crown Court in October 2024.
During the trial the jury heard that the carefully planned attack had been weeks in the making.
Parslow researched hotels housing asylum seekers, bought a knife from the U.S. and prepared a hate-filled manifesto to release after the attack.
He was arrested on a nearby canal towpath soon after the attack and before he was able to publish his manifesto or cause further harm.
A search of his address found several weapons, including an axe, a knife, a baseball bat and extreme right-wing material such as a Nazi flag.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
The attack was formally declared as terrorism by the Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing following the investigation.
West Mercia Police Local Policing Assistant Chief Constable Grant Wills thanked the officers and their work which led to the speedy arrest and conviction.
“Officers attended within minutes and thanks to help from two members of the public, were able to quickly arrest Parslow, preventing him from causing further harm. The weapon and key evidence was also secured, helping lead to his conviction.
“Attacks of this nature do not happen often in our communities but if they do we are prepared and will take swift action to protect the public. I’m pleased today’s sentence means a dangerous individual will now spend a considerable time in prison.”
Elsewhere, the Head of Counter Terrorism Policing in the West Midlands, Detective Chief Superintendent Alison Hurst, said that Parslow carried out the carefully planned attack with his “extreme right-wing mindset targeting his victim based on his ethnicity.”
Far-right threat
Fears are running high among British Muslims amid widespread Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments.
In the summer of 2024, far-right anti-Muslim riots occured across England following a brutal knife attack in Southport.
Right-wing accounts on social media quickly began peddling fake news regarding the identity, background and religion of the suspected attacker, with some claiming he was a Muslim asylum seeker.
The misinformation sparked a far-right outpouring of hate, with mosques and minority communities targeted during the unrest.
The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously condemned the summer’s unrest as “far-right thuggery.”
Additionally, back in October, the chief of Britain’s domestic intelligence service blamed extreme right-wing ideologies for a “staggering” rise in the number of children being investigated for terrorism.
MI5 boss Ken McCallum said the internet was the “biggest factor” driving the rise, describing how easily youngsters can access “inspirational and instructional material” from their bedrooms.
“Extreme right-wing terrorism in particular skews heavily towards young people, driven by propaganda that shows a canny understanding of online culture.
“It’s not really a consistent single ideology on the extreme right-wing side and that is what has skewed the numbers most heavily.”
The UK terrorism threat level remains at “substantial”, the third highest out of five levels, meaning an attack at any time is highly likely.
