"But a flurry of online activities shows the group is still active stateside and considers the US an operational nerve center. Headed by Rinaldo Nazzaro, an ex-Pentagon contractor turned alleged Russian intelligence asset, the Base has been busy of late pursuing European expansion: besides its heavily armed members in Spain, its Ukrainian wing is linked to multiple acts of terrorism inside of the country and claimed the high-profile July assassination of an intelligence officer in Kyiv."
"But the Base's online footprint also paints a picture of a more careful, yet active, American presence: videos from November show masked men shooting military-style rifles and pistols in what they claim is an Appalachian forest. Another June photo, from the same Appalachian cell, shows five armed men in skull masks, holding rifles and brandishing the Base's black flag, while a cell from the mid-Atlantic captures three members performing sieg heil salutes, with another from the midwest showing two men firing pistols."
"In the shifting political climate of the second Trump administration, where the FBI has openly rerouted resources away from investigations of far-right extremists, the Base appears free to organize and prepare for their stated objective of fomenting an armed insurgency against the US government. At the same time, its recruitment has continued to funnel through a Russia email address and has not ceased since the 2020 FBI crackdown against it. Nazzaro has also matched this new American law enforcement environment with emboldened rhetoric."
The Base remains active across the United States and treats the US as an operational nerve center. Rinaldo Nazzaro, an ex-Pentagon contractor and alleged Russian intelligence asset, leads the group and has pursued European expansion. Heavily armed members in Spain face arrests while a Ukrainian wing is linked to multiple terrorist acts, including the July assassination of an intelligence officer in Kyiv. US cells have posted videos of masked men firing military-style weapons and posing with the Base flag in Appalachian, mid-Atlantic and midwestern locations. Recruitment has continued through a Russia-linked email address since 2020. The group aims to foment an armed insurgency and Nazzaro said they seek to emulate al-Qaida and IS in Syria.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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