Neo-Nazi Group Planned On Ambushing Attendees; Denounces Arrest On Telegram
(New York, N.Y.) – Last week’s arrest of Patrik Jordan Mathews and two other members of the neo-Nazi group the Base shifted to the courtroom Tuesday, as federal prosecutors outlined how the accused planned on inciting violence at a gun rights rally in Richmond, Virginia. Amongst other tactics, the members planned on “ambushing” the police and firing upon “unsuspecting civilians.” All told, a total of seven members of the Base have been arrested. On Monday, Counter Extremism Project researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch disclosed that the group’s Telegram channel stated that the arrests were unfair and that the group’s founder, Roman Wolf, also stated that the Base would continue to exist and struggle “for survival.”
Since the arrests, CEP’s resource U.S. White Supremacy Groups and Fisher-Birch have been featured prominently in news outlets such as The Associated Press, The New York Times and Reuters. A select portion of the media coverage is provided here and part of the resource may be read below.
- Associated Press: 3 More Linked To Neo-Nazi Group Arrested In Georgia
- The New York Times: Virginia Capital On Edge As F.B.I. Arrests Suspected Neo-Nazis Before Gun Rally
- The New York Times: State Of Emergency, F.B.I. Arrests And A Rally For Gun Rights.
- Reuters: Who Is U.S. Neo-Nazi Group 'The Base'?
- CNN: FBI Arrests 3 Alleged White Supremacists. They Planned To Attend Virginia Pro-Gun Rally, Official Says
- Fox News: FBI Arrests 3 Linked To White-Supremacist Group Ahead Of Virginia Pro-Gun Rally
- Virginian-Pilot: FBI Arrests Suspected Neo-Nazis Who Planned To Travel To Va. Gun Rally With Machine Gun
The Base is a neo-Nazi, white-supremacist group that describes itself as an “international survivalist and self-defense network” that seeks to train their members for fighting a race war. The group claims to have members in North America, Europe, South Africa, and Australia. The Base is influenced by tactics described in the book Siege by neo-Nazi James Mason and is an accelerationist group that encourages the onset on anarchy so it can then “impose order from chaos.” In a September 2018 episode of the podcast The Roper Report, Wolf claimed the Base’s goal is to unite white nationalists for the coming race war that will overthrow the government and reshape society.
The Base has organized training camps around North America to instruct their members in weaponry and military tactics. While the name ‘The Base’ is the English translation of al-Qaeda, it is unclear if the link was intentional. The Base heavily draws inspiration from the Atomwaffen Division (AWD) and Siege, which also inspired AWD. The exact relationship between AWD and The Base remains unclear beyond inspiration. The Base’s membership reportedly includes members of AWD and the far-right group Eco-Fascist Order.
To read the CEP report U.S. White Supremacy Groups, please click here.
To read the CEP report James Mason’s Siege: Ties to Extremists, please click here.