Derbyshire teenager who encouraged terrorism and tried to make a gun is jailed

Daniel John Harris, 19, made and uploaded five videos to an online channel, between February 2021 and March 2022. In the clips, he praised the 2019 terrorist attacks in New Zealand, criticised peaceful protest, produced how-to guides and called for the death of those who work in the criminal justice system. He also tried to make a gun with a 3D printer.

Harris’ clips were commented on and referenced seven times by the man who murdered ten people in a racially-motivated attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, USA, in May last year. Further evidence shows another was used on the website of a man accused of killing five people at a gay club in Colorado in November. Harris was arrested by officers from Counter-Terrorism Policing in the East Midlands (CTP EM) at his home in Glossop on 16 May 2022 – two days after the attack in Buffalo – and charged with a number of offences.

In December, following a trial at Manchester Crown Court, he was found guilty of five counts of encouraging terrorism (contrary to Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006) and one count of possession of material for terrorist purposes (contrary to Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000).

He was later found guilty of a sixth charge related to the possession of the 3D printer, with intent.

On Friday, January 27 Harris, of Lord Street, Glossop, was jailed for 11-and-a-half-years – with a further three years on licence.

CTP EM Detective Inspector Chris Brett said: “On the face of it, Harris presents as an unassuming, quiet young man, but scratch the surface and it’s a more sinister picture.

“While efforts were made to support him – with a referral to establish if he had been groomed, and attempts to engage with him through the Prevent programme – the extent of his views and intentions were exposed through his continued efforts to post and create online content of an extreme nature throughout.

“Harris was ultimately deemed not to have been groomed, rather his provocative words and inflammatory films were potentially radicalising others.

“The threat he posed became such that we had to act in order to ensure the safety of the wider public. The reference to one of his videos in the prelude to the Buffalo attack is a case in point. The level of risk was laid bare when we found evidence of an intention to create a gun from parts printed from a 3D printer, kept in a room used for storage. Granted, it was a crude attempt.

“Harris could see the reaction his videos were getting. This was not a one-off, this was not a game, this was a concerted effort to generate a following and influence people.

“Even once arrested, Harris continued to be obstructive to our investigatory efforts.

“I’d like to acknowledge the work of the investigation team, supported by colleagues at Derbyshire Constabulary and in CTP North East, on what has been an extremely challenging, but sadly not unique, investigation.

Extremist content can be reported via the iREPORTit app or anonymously, at https://www.gov.uk/report-terrorism