Scot ‘posted list of drug dealers and execution threat’ online

A Scottish man has appeared in court in Belfast on trial for a terrorist offence after allegedly posting a list of drug dealers along with an execution threat on a Republican group’s Facebook page. Andrew Stephen Rae, 43, from Glasgow, faced charges of possessing documents or records useful to terrorism for sharing a document containing a list of alleged drug dealers in Belfast with a threat that they would be ‘executed’ on March 22, 2022. The Crown argues that the list and the accompanying threat could be useful to individuals preparing acts of terrorism. Rae denied the offence and a jury of seven men and five women were sworn at Belfast Crown Court as the prosecution opened the case against him.

The court heard that a detective from the PSNI discovered a Facebook post on a Republican group’s page on August 30, 2021, naming alleged drug dealers in Belfast and threatening execution. A screenshot posted by a Facebook user called ‘Andy Rae’ on August 31, 2021, included a list of 25 names of alleged drug dealers with a reference to ‘The Republican Movement’ and a threat of execution. The police traced the Facebook details to Rae’s address in Glasgow, and he was later arrested in March 2022. Rae admitted to police during an interview that he had posted the list on the Facebook page, claiming he had come across it as a screenshot and shared it because he believed the individuals on the list had already been named.

The Crown barrister revealed that the police had spoken to the individuals named on the list before the screenshot appeared on Facebook, and when Rae’s mobile phone was seized in March 2022, the image of the list was still on his device. The prosecution argued that such a list and threat were not items typically possessed by the public and could be useful to terrorist groups seeking to enforce their version of justice in the community. The trial continues as Rae maintains his innocence in this terrorism case.

In summary, a Scottish man is facing trial in Belfast for allegedly posting a list of drug dealers with an execution threat on a Republican group’s Facebook page. The prosecution argues that the list and threat could be utilised by terrorist groups. Rae maintains his innocence while the court proceedings unfold, shedding light on the complexities of online actions and their potential implications for national security.