“The assassination claim from the Base’s Ukraine operation shows that they want to be seen as operational, an ongoing threat, and, based on their statement, firmly opposed to the Russian government,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, an extremism analyst at the Counter Extremism Project who has been tracking the group for several years. “This last point is important because of the strong appearance, while still officially not proven, of the Base and their Ukrainian affiliate to be connected to Russian sabotage operations and have ties to the Russian intelligence services.” Fisher-Birch pointed out that the Ukrainian cell, for example, has “only publicized harming Ukrainian individuals, buildings, and infrastructure” and not of Russian servicemen invading the country.

CEP Researcher and Content Review Specialist Joshua Fisher-Birch talks to The World about The Base after Spanish police arrested three members in November.

“This cell was particularly serious,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a terrorism researcher at the Counter Extremism Project who keeps tabs on the digital accounts of the Base. “It should be noted that the group’s cell in Spain had its own public Telegram channel, which is unusual, where they repeatedly called on others to join the group, shared photos of weapons training and urged militant action.”

The Counter Extremism Project, an association focused on extremist groups, said Nazzaro worked for the US Department of Homeland Security between 2004 and 2006, and reportedly with US forces in the Middle East on counterterrorism, a role that gave him top-secret clearance. Nazzaro resigned his US national security position after developing his white nationalist beliefs, the Counter Extremism Project said.

Joshua Fisher-Birch, researcher and content review specialist for the Counter Extremism Project, is all about that Base, as in the international Neo-Nazi group he’s been tracking in the U.S. and on foreign battlefields.