NATO: Far-Right Front in Nato HQ Linked to Gun Runners
01 July 1996
An inquiry has been launched to investigate allegations that Nato officers have been involved in a gun-running ring. The affair has been linked to the existence of a far-right cell operating within the Nato headquarters at Evere.
The affair first came to light when an Italian businessman, Francisco Elmo, was arrested during a routine border check. His papers turned out to have been forged. One of the people who were travelling with Elmo turned out to be a CIA agent.
In the course of the enquiry it soon emerged that the Elmo group had been involved in gun-running for many years. The Belgian public Prosecutor claims that the Elmo group operated as the link between buyers and sellers of arms, using CIA agents as go-betweens. Banks across Europe were used to launder the money, the Vatican bank being prominent amongst them. Clients for the group included Somali militias and the far-right Russian politician Vladimir Shirinovsky. The Nato connection consisted of a group of administrators who provided the weapons with approval certificates.
Finally, in what provides chilling echoes of the P2 scandal, a connection has also been established with a Spanish Archbishop who is alleged to have used his influence to launder over 100 million dollars through the Vatican bank. The De Morgen newspaper has suggested that there may be a link between this scandal and the far-right Templars group sect whose existence was revealed in June (see Statewatch, vol 6 no 3).
Further details have since emerged concerning the ideology behind this group, who were filmed by French television conducting a service attended by over three hundred people, amongst whom were high ranking Nato officers, politicians, police officers and civil servants from the UK, France Belgium and the US as well as a number of far-right activists from the French and belgian Front National, in which "the chosen nature of the Celtic Race" was proclaimed.
According to De Morgen the "Templars Order" was based on the original Templars, who were an order of armed monks founded in the Middle Ages to conquer and then defend Palestine from Islam. Like their forbears the Templars Order has both a religious and a military wing. It's stated aim is promote atlanticism and to "fight against Islam and Communism". De Morgen claims the Templars form part of a chain of far-right quasi-religious sects that have a combined membership of over 600,000 people in France alone.
De Morgen, 12.6.96 & 23.5.96.