Nazi fantasist joined Hitler groups and had bomb guides

Axl Scott - described by his own defence advocate as 'a very odd young man' - was found with a blank firing pistol, a stun gun and smoke grenades in his home.

Scott also had photo and video instructions for the production of thermite, napalm, Molotov cocktails and RDX - a key chemical component of C-4.

The court heard how the 22-year-old joined several far-right extremist chat groups online, named after racist and anti-Semitic leaders and ideologies.

He sent pictures of himself wearing a swastika armband and making a Hitler salute - despite having Jewish relatives.

Communicating with other users on instant messaging apps such as Snapchat, WhatsApp and Telegram, Scott spoke of 'blowing up generators' to cause power outages, while a 3D printer - which can be used to create firearms - was discovered in his bedroom during a police raid.

However, a Crown prosecutor told the court that 'there was never any intelligence suggesting that he was going to carry out any sort of attack'.

Axl Scott (Image: Facebook)

Scott, who was imprisoned last week for multiple sexual assaults against young girls, pleaded guilty to seven of 18 indictment charges, most of which related to Terrorism Act offences.

The court heard that one of the child witnesses in the sex offences case referred to Scott during police interviews as a 'Heil Hitler type of person' who had a number of weapons in his house including knives and guns.

He was arrested regarding the other matter in August 2022 and subsequent searches of his property uncovered a haul of indecent material.

Between February 2021 and July 2022, he had photos on his mobile phone containing instructions on how to make improvised incendiary and explosive devices, as well as videos with manufacturing tips for the highly flammable napalm and thermite.

Scott, originally from Norfolk in England, sent a racist message to an online 'friend' and sent further messages of an anti-Semitic and pro national socialist nature, the court was told.

During interviews with police, a 'clearly upset' Scott 'spoke freely' but repeatedly cried and told officers that he did not want to go back to Polmont Young Offenders Institution.

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He used the picture messaging app Snapchat and also communicated via the encrypted Telegram platform, on which he had several group chats named after extreme right-wing leaders and ideologies such as 'Britain First', 'Inside the Third Reich', 'Adolf Hitler's Art Gallery' and 'The Reich Way'.

He said he had met people online and initially he was aligned with communism but became disillusioned with right-wing fanatics and 'kept their messages for evidence', claiming he was trying to infiltrate the groups and better understand the thinking of fellow members.

The fiscal depute said that during one police interview, Scott shouted that he would 'rather die than go back to Polmont'.

Defence advocate Joseph Barr told the court that his client was 'a very odd young man' who was 'socially inadequate' and had 'flip-flapped from communism to far-right extremism'.

Mr Barr added: "He is a fantasist in relation to all of this.

"A young man looking for online company and friends, someone who wouldn't make offline friends very easily.

"He has Jewish relations and is not anti-Semitic. These are not views that he holds at all.

"There is no evidence that he was going to do any of these things."

Sheriff Anthony McGeehan granted a Crown motion for forfeiture of several dozen rounds of ammunition, fired and unfired, blank firearms and a 3D printer recovered from Scott's bedroom.

Mr Barr said that his efforts to secure a psychological assessment for his client had so far been in vain.

Sheriff McGeehan deferred sentence on Scott, whose address was not given in court, until July 5 for the preparation of background reports.