Former members of a neo-Nazi terrorist organization known as the “Base” are alleging that its founder is a Russian intelligence asset.

Rinaldo Nazzaro, also known as “Roman Wolf” and “Norman Spear,” grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, where he attended a private all-boys Catholic school. After working for the Pentagon as a security contractor, Nazzaro moved to Russia in 2017, where he obtained citizenship and a passport. Shortly after, Nazzaro began appearing on far-right podcasts.

In 2018, Nazzaro visited Harold Covington, an infamous white nationalist whose goal was to create an all-white ethnostate in the Pacific Northwest. However, he would never have the opportunity to meet Covington, as he died on the day of their scheduled meeting. Covington’s death reportedly inspired Nazzaro to form his own Neo-Nazi group.

“Things started becoming really suspicious when a few members could see him texting on the phone in Russian, in a fluent/at least a good level as he was writing fast and seemingly naturally, all of that alone led to the belief that [Nazzaro] might be a Russian federal asset, and at that time it was already obvious that he was flying to Russia back and forth,” former Base members accuse on far-right Telegram channels, reports the Guardian.

Since war broke out in 2022, Base members have been burning military vehicles with Ukrainian license plates, electrical boxes, and conducting other sabotage activities. The neo-Nazis noted that when several Base operatives were being arrested, Nazzaro quickly “got into a plane to Russia.”

The Base’s digital footprint also shows growing reliance on Russian internet services. Under Nazzaro’s management, their Russian-hosted VK account was the first place calls for Ukrainian attacks appeared. For recruiting new members, they use Mail.ru, an email platform associated with one of Putin’s known allies.

Despite these connections, Nazzaro has consistently denied any affiliation with intelligence agencies. In a 2020 appearance on Kremlin state television, he claimed, “I never had any contact with any Russian security services.”