Spanish police announced on Monday that they have dismantled a cell of 'The Base,' a neo-Nazi group designated as a terrorist organisation by the EU, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
The movement, founded in the United States, operates through a decentralised international network of paramilitary cells with the aim of carrying out attacks and preparing for a “racial war,” police said in a statement.
An investigation launched earlier this year uncovered a Spanish cell whose members were “highly radicalized” and had trained using “paramilitary techniques and equipment,” the police said.
In recent months, the suspects encouraged “violent acts, going so far as to openly declare that they were prepared to carry out targeted attacks for the cause,” the statement added.
The cell leader was in “direct contact” with the founder of the American group, who recently called for “targeted attacks with the aim of overthrowing Western democratic institutions.”
Three people were arrested last week, including the leader of the Spanish cell, who has been placed in custody. They are accused of belonging to a terrorist organisation, recruitment, indoctrination and training for terrorist purposes, as well as illegal possession of weapons.
Law enforcement officers seized two firearms, ammunition, and neo-Nazi propaganda during searches in the eastern province of Castellón.
American Rinaldo Nazzaro founded the group in 2018 as a network for far-right nationalists preparing for armed conflict, before moving to St. Petersburg and acquiring Russian citizenship, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank.
Last year, the European Union added 'The Base' to its list of terrorist organizations, imposing sanctions on its members including a travel ban and an asset freeze in Europe.
