Spanish police break up violent white supremacist terror cell

OVIEDO, Spain

Spanish police on Monday said they dismantled a white supremacist terrorist organization with alleged links to the neo-Nazi group The Base.

Officials said the group constitutes Spain’s first known accelerationist terrorist cell – referring to the far-right extremist movement that advocates using violence to destabilize society and create a white ethnostate.

Police arrested three individuals, including the group’s leader, and seized weapons, ammunition, military-style training gear and neo-Nazi materials.

The cell’s leader, who is now being held in prison, also allegedly had direct contact with the US-based founder of The Base, which is designated a terrorist organization in the EU, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Last month, the founder publicly urged supporters to strengthen international cells and carry out targeted attacks to destabilize Western democratic institutions, Spanish police added.

The investigation began early this year, when counterterrorism agents identified a man who appeared highly radicalized and aligned with the group’s ideology. Police determined he was part of a cohesive three-person cell whose members had embraced accelerationist doctrine and expressed willingness to commit attacks.

According to officials, the suspects had already conducted tactical training sessions using paramilitary techniques and equipment.

Investigators said the group used social media to recruit potential members and disseminate accelerationist content.

The Base was founded in 2018 by Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former US Pentagon contractor who currently lives in Russia. According to the New Zealand National Security Board, the group has been highly active in recent years and has expanded from a primarily US-based entity into a transnational network made up of largely autonomous cells of violent extremists.