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Spanish Police Bust Neo‑Nazi Cell in Castellón — Three Arrested and Weapons Seized

11:32 PM, 12/01/2025
Spanish Police Bust Neo‑Nazi Cell in Castellón — Three Arrested and Weapons Seized

Spanish national police arrested three people in Castellón during raids on a cell linked to the neo‑Nazi group known as "The Base." Officers seized weapons, body armour, cash, extremist literature and propaganda. Police say the suspects had trained with paramilitary equipment, were highly radicalised and maintained contact with the group's founder, Rinaldo Nazzaro. Detectives are investigating terrorism‑related offences while forensic analysis and follow‑up inquiries continue.

Spanish national police have arrested three people during a series of armed raids in Castellón, on Spain’s eastern coast, in an operation targeting a cell linked to the neo‑Nazi organisation known as "The Base." Authorities say the suspects were highly radicalised, had trained with paramilitary equipment and were prepared to carry out selective attacks in furtherance of the group's aims.

What police found

Officers reported seizing a substantial cache of weapons and extremist material during searches of multiple properties. Items recovered included:

  • Submachine guns, handguns, ammunition and silencers
  • Knives, machetes and a spear
  • Body armour, helmets and camouflage clothing
  • A drone, rope, handcuffs and other tactical equipment
  • Bundles of €50 banknotes
  • Translated hardback editions of Hitler’s Mein Kampf (Spanish and Catalan) and a banner bearing an explicit anti‑Israel slogan
  • A T‑shirt featuring an image of Ted Kaczynski labelled with the slogan "White Boy Summer," a phrase appropriated by some white‑supremacist online circles

Ties to an international network

Spanish police say the alleged leader of this cell maintained direct contact with Rinaldo Nazzaro, the US‑born founder of "The Base," who previously worked as a defence contractor and with US special forces. Nazzaro, 52, has reportedly been living in Russia in recent years and in April publicly urged members to carry out assassinations of key military and political figures in Ukraine. Although he has been the subject of an FBI inquiry, authorities say no criminal charges have been filed against him to date.

"They had already carried out tactical training sessions using paramilitary material and techniques," said a spokesman for Spain’s national police, adding that the cell had "hardened their radical rhetoric" and openly demonstrated readiness to conduct selective attacks.

Ongoing investigation

Detectives are investigating the three detainees on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organisation, indoctrination and training with terrorist aims, and unlawful possession of weapons. The Base, founded in 2018, has been linked to cells in several countries, and academic analysis suggests its cells are intended to operate autonomously to limit detection by law enforcement and intelligence services.

Bodycam footage released by police shows officers handcuffing the suspects, displaying selected weapons for inspection and carrying boxes of evidence from the premises. Authorities say inquiries and forensic examination of the seized material are continuing.

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