The Muslim News - Guilty of possessing explosives

Issue 214, Friday 23 February 2007 - 5 Safar 1428

Guilty of possessing explosives

By Elham Asaad Buaras

A former British National Party candidate has pleaded guilty of stockpiling explosive chemicals for an anticipated civil war in Britain. On February 13, Robert Cottage, 49, pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court to one count of possession of explosives but denied one count of conspiracy to cause an explosion.
His barrister, Alistair Webster QC, said Cottage believed the “political and financial condition of the country” would lead to civil war within the coming years.
He said his client accepted the charge on the basis that the explosives were designed to deter attacks on his property. A second man, David Jackson, 62, denies one count of possession of explosives and one of conspiracy to cause an explosion.
Prosecutor Louise Blackwell QC said Cottage’s wife had told how he wanted to shoot Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and local Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Greaves. Blackwell said Kerena Cottage suffered mental health problems and told a social worker her husband had several crossbows and chemicals stored in his home.
This sparked a police operation and officers raided the house. During the swoop they discovered 21 types of chemicals which, when mixed together, could form explosives. They also recovered a 300-page computer document called the Anarchy Cookbook which detailed how to make different types of bombs.
In October last year The Muslim News (Issue No 210) reported how Cottage who stood as a BNP candidate at Pendle Council elections in May escaped terrorism charges and media scrutiny despite being accused of possessing the largest sum of chemical explosives of its type ever found domestically in Lancashire. Instead at the time of his arrest on October 5, Cottage faced the lighter Explosive Substances Act 1883 and scattered coverage by local press and on a few websites.

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