Investigator describes defendant as 'the superlative of an extremist'

The Luxembourg City Court entered its second day of proceedings on Thursday in the trial of a neo-Nazi, whom a criminal police investigator termed "the superlative of an extremist".

The 23-year-old defendant faces multiple charges, including membership in a terrorist organisation and alleged attack planning. Evidence presented suggests he discussed potential targets for parcel bombs, including an animal testing clinic and a Swedish airline known for diversity-themed advertising.

The accused joined the eco-fascist "Green Brigade" in August 2019, rapidly ascending its ranks – a climb investigators associate with his involvement in a 2019 Swedish mink farm arson, for which he has already been convicted in Sweden. Court documents indicate he actively promoted the group through propaganda distribution, including leaflets and stickers, while allegedly recruiting new members.

"Pre-crime phase": Neo-Nazi defendant allegedly prepared attacks

The criminal police investigator testified that the defendant had reached "the peak of his radicalisation" when arrested in early 2020, describing him as being in a "pre-crime phase". According to the officer, "he had a parcel bomb at work, had made and tested explosives, and ordered an assault rifle".

The court heard evidence confirming the defendant's membership in the white supremacist group The Base, including an October 2019 interview with its founder, Rinaldo Nazzaro. When asked by Nazzaro why he sought membership, the defendant replied, "I want to act, to change things". He cited Mein Kampf, 1984, and Brave New World as influential texts in his path to National Socialism.

In the interview with Nazzaro, the defendant explained that he is a member of the Green Brigade and has had contacts with militant and violent Christian groups. In response to this, Nazzaro asked the defendant about his stance on paganism, noting its role in "preserving European identity", a theme reflected in The Base's rune symbols.

The defendant highlighted his potential value to extremist circles, mentioning his chemistry knowledge and firearms experience – he was obtaining a hunting licence in Luxembourg at the time. When asked about survival skills, the then-17-year-old stated, "I was a scout".

Defendant admitted to terror group in November 2019

A pivotal moment in the defendant's October 2019 interview came when he rejected political solutions – a key tenet of The Base, which seeks to overthrow Western systems through violence to trigger a race war. According to investigator testimony, this stance facilitated his November 2019 admission to the group after completing training with its Swedish branch.

The court heard that The Base aims to establish a white ethno-state. While initially focused on US territories, founder Rinaldo Nazzaro – himself based in Russia – has reportedly shifted attention to a proposed "Carpathian Republic" under the "White Phoenix Project" in Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains.

Investigators characterised The Base as a "leaderless resistance group" serving as a hub for individuals adhering to National Socialist ideology. Typically socially isolated, members connect online to exchange extremist views, mutually radicalise, and propagate hatred against foreigners, women, LGBTQIA+ communities, Jewish people – in short, anyone different from them.

Terror group modelled after Al-Qaeda

The founder of The Base allegedly drew direct inspiration from Al-Qaeda, according to investigator testimony. The group's name itself mirrors the Arabic "Al-Qaeda" (meaning "the base"), and its decentralised structure – organised into small, independent cells – aims to ensure operational continuity if one unit is compromised.

Investigators revealed the group studies Al-Qaeda manuals, which include bomb-making instructions. Their envisioned ethno-state would implement a "white sharia" system modelled after Islamic State doctrines, the court was told.
"Satanists are back in fashion"

The investigator emphasised The Base's ideological diversity, noting: "Satanists are back in fashion". The group attracts Odinists, neo-pagans, and misogynistic incels – typically white men from the masculinist movement who blame women for their "involuntary celibacy". It also includes eco-fascists and anarcho-primitivists seeking a return to pre-industrial lifestyles.

These factions share a perception of being overwhelmed by modern society and fear losing white male dominance, the investigator explained. Rejecting political solutions, they pursue revolution. To this end, they exchange entire libraries, the police investigator explained.

Hundreds of books were found on the defendant's shelves, "neither illegal nor banned," but all focused on radicalisation.

From Utøya to Christchurch

Modern extremists have shed traditional neo-Nazi markers – shaved heads, combat boots – opting instead for inconspicuous appearances that include, at most, simple side partings. Their avoidance of public gatherings makes them harder to track, while their digital connections remain invisible to outsiders. This creates a paradox: though they operate as seemingly isolated "lone wolves", they are deeply embedded in global networks, investigators explained.

The investigator identified Anders Breivik, perpetrator of Norway's 2011 Utøya massacre (77 killed), as the prototype for this model. The defendant possessed Breivik's manifesto, but reportedly particularly idolised Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant, who murdered 50 mosque-goers in 2019 while live-streaming via helmet camera.

Within The Base, such attackers are venerated as "Saints" – depicted in iconography blending Christian martyrdom with Nazi imagery. Artistic renderings show them in saintly robes holding assault rifles instead of crosses, their manifestos treated as sacred texts. One image portrays Adolf Hitler ascending one of them to heaven.

The defendant had adapted Tarrant's manifesto into a PowerPoint presentation, effectively creating instructional material. According to investigators, this "sainthood" status – and the posthumous glorification it promises – serves as powerful motivation for attacks. "Videos amplify their reach", noted the policewoman, adding that most perpetrators submit to arrest knowing their martyrdom will be celebrated digitally after death.

A manifesto plagiarised from the IRA

Investigators presented evidence suggesting the defendant co-authored the Green Brigade's manifesto, citing unpublished drafts found on his computer alongside final versions shared via Telegram. The police expert noted much of the document was directly plagiarised from Irish Republican Army (IRA) materials.

The defendant demonstrated creative engagement with extremist aesthetics, designing 1980s Miami-Vice-style graphics featuring turquoise-pink text against black backgrounds with palm tree silhouettes. These images bore slogans including "Hitler did nothing wrong", "No Muslims allowed", and racially charged falsehoods like "I have AIDS because I'm black".

The defendant became much more explicit in his chat messages, which were read aloud by the investigator: "I really feel like killing a cop. I am going to kill a cop today"; "all transgender people should be executed"; "that girl should be raped, strangled and mutilated"; "I will not rest until every elite is dead and every police is raped".

At the time of his January 2020 detention, the defendant remained actively involved with extremist groups. Investigators revealed he had proposed hosting a The Base training camp on his parents' Swedish property just weeks earlier. Even during pre-trial detention, he requested anti-Semitic literature through his mother.

The trial will resume Friday with additional investigator testimony.