Spain arrests 14 Núcleo Nacional members over paramilitary training in Ukraine

Party's response to the arrests

Núcleo Nacional, which the articles describe as a neo-Nazi party, broke several days of silence on 10 November with a statement rejecting the case against it. The party called the detentions ordered by a judge in Gijón absolutely disproportionate and said they had political motives, aimed at blocking a demonstration legally called for 7N. It accused the government of trying to divert public attention from its own controversies and said media had published misleading information about the searches of its premises. The party also said every seized weapon held the corresponding licenses.

“We are not criminals.”

Arrests and searches

Police arrested 14 people in the week of 2 November and carried out searches in Madrid, Asturias, Guadalajara, Valladolid, Pontevedra, Alicante and Burgos. Ten of the 14 were released with precautionary measures, according to RTVE. Officers searched the party's Burgos headquarters on Friday, 6 November, and seized wooden and steel bars, shields with grips, flares, pepper spray, a hammer and a knife with a 25 centimetre blade. Police attribute to the suspects offences of incitement to hatred, illicit association and weapons possession.

Detained14

Released with precautionary measures10

Detained

14

Released with precautionary measures

10

Data from the article text

Online group and minors

A 126-page case file describes a WhatsApp group of more than 40 members that shared Nazi symbols and slogans. Police say the group included minors and young people aged 14 to 22, and they describe it as a violent youth group of the far right. About twenty of these members also belong to a larger Núcleo Nacional messaging group, which the file says confirms a direct link between the two organizations. The file blames the group's leader for recruiting and indoctrinating the younger members, and it suggests an adult described as a long-standing member of the Asturian far right may have recruited them. The messages also urged a more secure network, warning that the group's communications were being watched.

Contacts abroad and training in Ukraine

Police say the group kept contact with 20 organizations in 14 countries, including Patriot Front in the United States, the National Legion of Bulgarian Youth, Red Angers in France and Prevat in Croatia. The file also links the group to the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade in Ukraine. Recorded calls mention planned trips to Ukraine, the United States, Poland and Hungary. El País reports that members travelled to Ukraine in August, trained with AK-47 rifles and body armour, and displayed black sweatshirts bearing the Storm Front slogan. Investigators believe they stayed in Kyiv, at a military camp and in another town 20 kilometres from the Russian border.

Planned uprising

In a call recorded on 12 August, one member says that without training no uprising will work, and his interlocutor stresses the need to give the structure security. A call on 28 August has sirens warning of bombs and drone attacks audible in the background. According to the file, the purpose of the Ukraine trip was to train members who would then instruct the party's delegations in Spain. Newtral reported images of members firing guns and a party spokesperson posing with a rifle, while the file says the group handled pistols and rifles without licenses. The case remains with the Juzgado de Instrucción número 1 de Gijón.