Europol supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in disrupting activities of the far-right terrorist group ‘The Base’. The operation took place over three days in Madrid and Valencia, resulting in significant seizures and the arrest of three suspected far-right extremists on 25 November 2025.
The operation was led by the General Commissariat of Information (Comisaría General de Información) of the Spanish National Police, with support from Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC). Around 50 police officers were deployed, conducting five house searches.
Apart from arresting three suspects linked to the international right-wing terrorist organisation ‘The Base’, the action days also led to the following seizures:
- a variety of weapons (including bladed weapons and two firearms) as well as ammunition;
- military tactical equipment used in training activities;
- accelerationist and supremacist material and documentation as well as ‘The Base’ organisation propaganda, neo-Nazi paraphernalia, and documentation glorifying other terrorist organisations.
‘The Base’ on EU Terrorist List
In July 2024, the Council of the European Union decided to add ‘The Base’ to the EU Terrorist List. This marked the first time the EU listed a far-right entity, indicating a shift in the threat landscape and counter-terrorism priorities. ‘The Base’ is known for its neo-Nazi militant accelerationist ideology and advocates achieving the goal of white supremacy through terrorism, creating an international network of paramilitary cells that self-train militarily in training camps, with the ultimate aim of carrying out attacks.
The organisation operates as a decentralised and clandestine network of small operational cells, whose main ideological tenets are supremacism, militant accelerationism, and preparation for what they refer to as a ‘racial war’.
Significant success against right-wing extremism
Investigators uncovered the existence of a cell consisting of three individuals. It is believed that the leader of this Spanish cell was in direct contact with Rinaldo Nazzaro, the founder of ‘The Base’, who recently called for the consolidation of cells expanded across several countries and the commission of selective attacks to collapse Western democratic institutions.
The members were highly radicalised, basing their lifestyle on the principles of the terrorist organisation and ready to carry out attacks. They allegedly had already conducted several tactical training sessions using paramilitary techniques and equipment. The suspects allegedly also used social media to recruit new members, glorify violent actions by other terrorist organisations, and share accelerationist content with other users.
In recent months, the suspects had hardened their radical discourse, encouraging violent actions, even openly stating that they were willing to carry out selective attacks for the cause. These acts and the observed stockpiling of weapons observed led law enforcement to arrest the three suspects.
Europol’s support
Europol’s counter-terrorism experts provided analytical support and expertise throughout the operation, including intelligence packages, cross-match reports, and hit notifications. During the action days, Europol staff was deployed in Madrid and supported from Europol’s headquarters in The Hague.
