Oliver Lewin believed the government was run by a Jewish elite that included then-prime minister Boris Johnson, and Matt Hancock, the former health secretary, a court heard.

The 38-year-old telecoms engineer also thought the coronavirus vaccine would cause mass deaths, the breakdown of society and the imposition of a Chinese-style communist system.

Following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Lewin was found guilty in December of preparing acts of terrorism.

He was sentenced on Friday to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Judge Paul Farrer said Lewin was "socially isolated, depressed and lacking in self-worth" at the time of his offending.

"These features led you into telling many lies about the extent of your terrorist activities," the judge added.

"Your objective was to influence the government although in reality the prospects of you successfully doing so were remote in the extreme."

Nick Price, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Lewin's beliefs were "extremely dangerous" and he "planned to commit a terror attack on our nation's infrastructure by amassing a huge amount of equipment, and undertaking reconnaissance".

"He not only was committed to the idea that violence was the only way to overthrow the government, but he also sought to persuade others to join him," Mr Price added.

'We are at war'

Lewin, from Coalville in Leicestershire, was a member of a group on the Telegram app called The Resistance UK, which had 8,000 members.

Under the name, Crouching Hedgehog, he tried to recruit others to attack critical infrastructure in order to weaken the government, posting to the group: "We are at war people, make no mistake. You have to treat it like one."

Lewin claimed to be a former "forward observer" for the special forces but had actually been working for a company which maintained radio masts and was living at home with his mother.

He exaggerated his skills in order to persuade others that he would be a "credible and effective leader of terrorist attacks", prosecutor Annabel Darlow KC said.

Lewis began writing the "Civilian Resistance Operations Manual", designed to train others to join his campaign.

In the manual, Lewin stated that his "ideal primary objective would be to topple the government and all within it".

He wrote that he wanted to "install a civilian-led alternative that doesn't act for themselves consider anybody below them mere scum".

Lewin advised potential recruits to carry a machete as "the very least" and wrote about a "core strategy" involving "severing major communications".

Emergency services radio network targeted

The court heard he planned to target transmitter masts and transport infrastructure, such as the M1.

His targets included masts that carried traffic for the BBC, an emergency services radio network, as well as internet traffic, in-car navigation systems and security cameras.

Lewin joined The Resistance UK in July 2021 and was immediately put under surveillance - including by two undercover officers.

A month later, he was arrested by members of the West Midlands Counter-Terrorism Unit.

Following his arrest, police discovered tools including pipe tube cutters, cable shears and cable strippers, that he had bought before the COVID outbreak.

They also found army surplus equipment including a jacket, backpack, groundsheet, rifle sling, rifle scope and an airgun silencer to fit the three airguns he had.

'A bit of a loser'

In his bedroom was a notebook containing handwritten notes that included a target list of "media, transport, infrastructure, power, comms, roads & rail".

In court, Lewin said he had been pretending to be from the special forces but was actually "a bit of a loser".

Andrew Hall KC, defending, said Lewin was "very odd" and described him as "opinionated, obsessive, without a sense of humour and lacking in any sense of self-worth".

He had lost his job and moved back in with his mother, his relationships had failed and he had few, if any, friends.

However, Ms Darlow told the jury: "The level of preparations and conduct far exceeded anything that might be commensurate with fantasy."