Two soldiers charged over ‘ties to neo-nazis’

THREE men, including two soldiers, have been charged with terror offences as part of an investigation into the banned neo-nazi group National Action.

Five men, including four soldiers, were held on suspicion of terror offences last week. Police said a man from Northampton and another from Ipswich, both aged 24, were released without charge on Saturday following inquiries.

West Midlands Police said Alexander Deakin, 22, Mikko Vehvilainen, 32, and Mark Barrett, 24, have been charged with being members of a proscribed organisation contrary to Section 11 of the Terrorism Act.

Vehvilainen is based at Sennybridge Camp in Brecon, Powys, while Barrett is based at Gaza Crescent, Dhekelia Garrison, Cyprus.

The pair have also been charged with possessing documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism and other offences.

The three men will appear before Westminster magistrates’ court today. National Action became the first farright group banned by the Government after it glorified the murder of Jo Cox, the MP stabbed to death by a white nationalist activist.

Dr Alex Winter, of the University of East London, said far-right groups had increasingly sought to align themselves with the military.