Oliver Lewis is on trial at Birmingham Crown Court after denying a terror charge (Picture: BNPS)
A terror suspect planned to attack communications infrastructure to prevent what he thought was a looming ‘Chinese communist takeover’, a court has heard.
Oliver Lewin allegedly plotted to ‘topple the government’ by destroying transmitter masts and major roads.
The 38-year-old from Coalville, Leicestershire, is on trial after pleading not guilty to a charge of preparing terrorist attacks.
Prosecutors claim he was motivated by anti-Semitic and anti-vaxxer beliefs.
Birmingham Crown Court also heard he allegedly told police during an interview that ‘white people across Europe were being systematically killed by the vaccine’ in a ‘planned genocide’.
Mr Lewin is accused of carrying out reconnaissance on potential targets, purchasing equipment and tools, digging hideouts, and seeking to recruit others.
The single charge against him relates to a period between July 24 and August 25 last year.
Prosecutor Annabel Darlow KC said: ‘By 2021, Oliver Lewin was deeply opposed to the government of the United Kingdom.
‘Mr Lewin, in fact, stated his goal was to topple the British government.
Mr Lewin allegedly planned to target communication masts (Picture: Getty)
‘He believed that it was dominated by a Jewish elite who took orders from Israel.
‘He saw the spread of coronavirus across the world as triggering what he termed the emergence of a Chinese Communist system.
‘Mr Lewin was also deeply suspicious of the coronavirus vaccination programme, which at that time was in the process of being rolled out across the country.’
Prosecutors allege he described himself as being on a ‘war footing’ and planned to physically ‘attack the hardware’ of communication systems and ‘cause damage to the road network’.
She said he wanted ‘widespread coordinated attacks’ to take place at different points in that network.
Mr Lewis is accused of using the alias ‘Crouching Hedgehog’ and pretending he was ex-army in a bid to recruit followers online.
He later joined a Telegram group infiltrated by undercover police officers, where he issued a ‘call to arms’, she said.
Attacks on major roads were part of the defendant’s plot to ‘destabilise’ the government, it is alleged (Picture: Getty)
The defendant had previously worked for a small company that installed and maintained radio masts, which prosecutors said gave him knowledge used in his ‘sabotage’ plans.
Lewin looked into targeting a number of masts in Leicestershire and Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, Ms Darlow said.
Police searched his address and found a partially completed work, entitled ‘Civilian Resistance Operations Manual’, she said.
In the manual, he allegedly stated: ‘What we can be certain of is that we are seeing the emergence of a Chinese Communist system that is ever accelerating with rapidity.
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‘We are not a Communist country and should fight with everything we have to prevent it.’
He was interviewed by police on 12 occasions after his arrest on August 25 2021, she said.
The court heard how Mr Lewin told officers he did not intend to commit an attack, saying he was a ‘fantasist’ engaging in ‘role play’.
The trial continues.
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Oliver Lewin denies plotting to destroy communication and transport infrastructure to ‘prevent a Chinese communist takeover’.Â
