National Action trial – as it happened: Neo-Nazi terrorists wanted to wage 'white jihad' and claimed 'Hitler was right', court hears

The hearing has resumed and Mr Mullen, a former National Action member, is continuing to give evidence on his relationship with the defendants.

He says he met Jack Renshaw, who had admitted plotting to murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper, at a National Action protest in Liverpool in November 2015 and then at regular meetings in pubs

Mr Mullen says Renshaw was particularly against "the Jews...he described them as vermin."

He tells the court Renshaw made speeches at events and on YouTube

Mr Mullen says he first understood defendant Mr Lythgoe, who denies giving Renshaw permission to launch the terror attack, to be the organiser of the north-west National Action group but he then became the group's nationwide leader

Jack Renshaw has admitted plotting to murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper 

Mr Mullen describes Mr Hankinson as Mr Lythgoe's "number two" and said he was a regular attendee at meetings after the ban, when he appeared to be in charge of security.

Mr Mullen says the group communicated face-by-face and using encrypted Tutanota emails and the messaging apps Telegram and Wire

He says he met Mr Clarke and Mr Helm at a November 2015 demonstration in Liverpool, and Mr Trubini shortly before. He then saw them all at regular meetings at a pub and at their gym in Warrington

Mr Mullen says he became an organiser for the north-west National Action faction - one of eight regional divisions - for a time in mid-2016.

He says one of the ways the group communicated was a chat group on the Wire app in the name of "PewDiePie fanclub". PewDiePie is a Swedish YouTube personality who has the most suscribed channel on the platform.

The court is being shown an email where Mr Lythgoe allegedly declared himself leader of National Action in November 2016, a month before it was banned.

He sent a leadership diagram to regional leaders reading: "Leader - me: I have the final decision on everyhting but I’ll always listen to everyone."

Asked whether that was his true position, Mr Mullen says: "Yes, he decided everything...for something to happen, people would ask him."

Mr Lythgoe is accused of giving Renshaw permission to murder Rosie Cooper MP and telling him "don't f*** it up", but denies the charge

In another email, Mr Lythgoe allegedly laid out National Action's structure in more detail. Mr Mullen says it "stayed the same" after the group was banned:

He put himself in the ideology, propaganda, self-defence training and camps categories, Mr Clarke for ideology and legal, Mr Hankinson for demo tactics and Mr Helm for camps. Mr Mullen was put down for demo tactics and legal issues in the November email, which was sent one month before the group was banned and five before he turned informant for Hope Not Hate, the court hears

Mr Mullen is being asked about the physical training National Action members underwent.

He tells the court that members including himself and the defendants practiced boxing at the Hook and Jab gym in Warrington, then moved to practice mixed martial arts at the Apex MMA gym, where they additionally learnt to use Kali combat sticks. In December 2016, the month the group was banned, he said Mr Lythgoe and Mr Trubini moved to hire their own space in Warrington.

Mr Mullen says he was also aware of at least four training camps held elsewhere, which were allegedly organised by defendant Mr Helm.

He tells the court he saw a video of one in the Lake District where National Action members practiced knife fighting with rubber weapons and wrestling.

"Someone tried to do a pull-up in the video on a tree but they couldn’t, it was a bit embarrassing," he adds.

Mr Mullen says he was first aware the government was going to ban National Action about a week before it was proscribed on 16 December 2016

He says he received an email from Mr Lythgoe on 11 December saying the group would "keep moving forward exactly how we have been", and one the day after to himself and other regional organisers telling them to reassure members and adding: "We are just shedding one skin for another."

Mr Mullen expressed concern about police action in a string of emails to Mr Lythgoe but the leader claimed the "whole group" would be able to continue by operating underground without the name National Action, and by splitting into regional factions to evade authorities.

In January 2017, Mr Mullen said the defendant "said we were going to maintain the people, get to the gym and train".