A teenager, who became Britain's youngest girl to be charged with terrorism offenses at age 15, was allegedly groomed by a neo-Nazi online and tragically died at 16. Rhianan Rudd was investigated by MI5 after downloading a bomb-making manual and expressing a desire to attack a synagogue. Her mother, Emily Carter, asserts that Rudd was a vulnerable, exploited child who should have been treated as a victim.
The case is detailed in a new Channel 4 documentary, "The Schoolgirl Terrorist?" Carter stated that Rudd was communicating online with someone she believed to be a school friend named 'Chris.' This individual was identified as Chris Cook, an American neo-Nazi who was later jailed for terrorism offenses related to plans to attack power grids. Cook had reportedly groomed Rudd during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020.
Rudd's initial interests reportedly shifted from 'My Little Pony' to German history. Her fixation on Nazism became apparent to friends when they returned to school after lockdown. One friend recalled Rudd drawing swastikas and images of Adolf Hitler in schoolbooks, casually remarking about Hitler in a way that caused concern. Another friend reported a falling out when Rudd, then 14, was found to be talking to an adult online, a conversation that was deemed dangerous.
Friends also reported that Rudd began expressing extremist views, such as denying the Holocaust and claiming Jewish people controlled global banks. These beliefs became deeply entrenched, making reasoned conversation impossible, according to one friend.
Authorities became involved in October 2020 when Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands visited Rudd's home. They seized a USB drive and a diary containing PDF manuals on bomb-making and far-right materials. MI5 subsequently opened an investigation.
Initially, authorities hesitated to arrest Rudd due to concerns about self-harm. However, an arrest was made after she was hospitalized for attempting to carve a swastika onto her forehead, as she was then considered a risk to others. The terrorism charges against her were eventually dropped in December 2021, following a Home Office finding that Rudd was a victim of exploitation.
Rhianan Rudd died on May 19, 2022, at a children's home in Nottinghamshire, five months after the charges were discontinued. An inquest into her death concluded in June 2025 that the decision to investigate and prosecute Rudd for terrorism offenses was necessary and appropriate. The coroner also noted missed opportunities to save her life, though these were not deemed systemic, and could not definitively state that Rudd intended to end her own life.
Further context from the inquest indicated that Rudd's mother's former partner, who had a history of convictions for violent organized crime and a swastika tattoo, was a significant radicalizing influence on Rudd. Carter had lived with this individual from November 2017 after connecting with him through a prisoner correspondence scheme.