A far-right sympathizer and convicted paedophile, Mark Wolf, was planning to purchase explosives in Ireland for a terrorist attack, according to the Irish police force, the Gardaí. Wolf, a UK national, was jailed for ten years last month after he was caught in possession of firearms parts and guides for 3D printing weapons in July 2021. During their investigation, members of the Special Detective Unit (SDU) found evidence that Wolf intended to acquire explosives from a commercial dealer in Ireland. This included contact details found on his phones for a company which supplies explosives to the civilian market for use in excavation. Gardaí also found a brand-new 3D printer capable of creating further firearms components. They believe that Wolf was planning to print individual firearm parts to create an arsenal of completed weapons for use in the planned terrorist attack. Wolf was also found in possession of videos of extreme violence directed mainly at people of color, along with far-right and Nazi material, leading authorities to suspect that he planned a similar attack in Ireland or the UK.
The case is noteworthy as being the first prosecution relating to 3D weapons in Ireland. The ten charges against Mark Wolf included “possession of electronic documents relating to the assembly of a firearm”. This referred to various guides Wolf possessed on 3D printing weapons. However, he was not charged with possession of the 3D printer itself. Wolf had not yet started printing his own weapon parts. Instead, he was ordering parts from overseas, including triggers, lower receivers, springs for ten magazines, and items that appear to be silencers.
Counter-terrorism detectives in the SDU became aware of these shipments and tracked them to Wolf. The Irish security sources specified that “it’s clear he was planning a major operation of sorts”. Gardaí believe that Wolf was working alone but had access to significant funds. For example, one of the gun sights found in his possession costs almost €800, and he had passports in four different names.
Although rare, 3D printed guns are a growing concern for European law enforcement. This is due to how easily instructions can be obtained online. To date, no one in the Republic of Ireland has been prosecuted for possessing a completed 3D weapon; however, at least one dissident paramilitary group is believed to possess them in Northern Ireland. These weapons are particularly popular in right-wing terrorist circles. As of late 2022, 11 out of the 12 most recent seizures of 3D weapons in Europe related to far right activities.
