Belgian non-commissioned officer suspended for ties to the extreme right | Inland

The non-commissioned officer was summoned to his superiors at the beginning of July at Florennes Air Force Base, where he works with the 2nd Tactical Wing. The soldier from the province of Namur was told that he will be temporarily removed from his position, while retaining part of his salary.

The military’s security clearance had also been revoked earlier. This happened after an investigation by the military intelligence service ADIV. The non-commissioned officer had been on the radar for more than ten years and is known, among other things, for assault and battery and ties to Boys ’91, a Sporting Charleroi fan club associated with hooliganism.

In addition, the soldier had ties to one of the founders of the skinhead movement Blood and Honour. His tattoos also caught ADIV’s attention. For example, he had a viking symbol tattooed that was popular among Nazis.

He has since removed another tattoo, the number 88, which refers to ‘Heil Hitler’. There are also indications that the non-commissioned officer was present at concerts of neo-Nazi bands and that he has a penchant for weapons. A shooting range was even built in the basement of his house. Finally, his name also appears in a judicial investigation, but the public prosecutor of Namur does not comment on this.

Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder (PS) has been informed about the case, but does not respond so as not to violate the secrecy of the investigation. According to ‘Knack’ there is no connection between the non-commissioned officer and Jürgen Conings, the extreme right-wing professional soldier who was wanted for weeks last year. He then threatened virologist Marc Van Ranst and stole weapons from the Leopoldsburg barracks.