Soldiers recruited by violent far-right

THEY NUMBER probably no more than three dozen yet they are considered too dangerous and extreme for most of Britain's far right.

Combat 18, a collection of skinhead tattooed racists, remain influential beyond their size. Yesterday it was disclosed that membership had spread to include soldiers in some of Britain's elite regiments. Two soldiers were among more than a dozen individuals whose homes were raided after a year-long investigation into the activities of neo-Nazis.

The operation, co-ordinated by MI5, the Special Branch and military police, resulted in raids at up to 14 addresses, including properties in London, Humberside, South Wales, Lancashire and Merseyside.

Three people, arrested under the Public Order Act of 1986, which relates to stirring up racial hatred, have been bailed pending further investigations. None has been charged. "A number of warrants were executed to seek material including CDs and publications," said the Metropolitan Police.

It was reported that the soldiers whose homes were raided served with The Parachute Regiment and the King's Regiment. The first is said to be a private who did tours of duty in Northern Ireland and Bosnia; the second is a private serving in the North-west.

The investigation followed an internal inquiry by the Ministry of Defence, which last year identified 12 serving soldiers as supporters of the Combat 18 group. The MoD refused to confirm details, saying: "Two individuals from different units are among those whose homes have been raided."

Combat 18 achieved notoriety for the racism and violence of its members. Apparently taking its name from the location in the alphabet of Adolf Hitler's initials, it was originally linked to the British National Party (BNP), providing "security" at its events. It broke away in the early Nineties after deciding the BNP leadership had become too "soft".

An insight into the organisation's perspective came last year, when the Combat 18 leader and founder, Paul "Charlie" Sargent, was jailed for life after he and a henchman, Martin Cross, killed a fellow member during an internal feud. Chelmsford Crown Court was told by a pathologist that the 22cm stab wound to Christopher Castle's heart and lungs would have required "considerable force". The court was also told that after the "execution" Cross referred to Mr Castle as a "casualty of war".

Since then Combat 18 has adopted a lower profile, happy to operate with a smaller membership than ever. "To some extent they have been ostracised by other member of the far right, who are fed up with their violence," said Nick Lowles, co-editor of Searchlight, the anti-fascist magazine that first highlighted the presence of Combat 18 supporters in the British Army.

"They have accepted that they are not going to win society over but some are keen to go on to more extreme measures and try and imitate what has been happening in Northern Ireland. They are not a major organisation - they do not have many supporters but they have been arguing for a more violent strategy, including terrorism." Links between the far right and loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland stretch back to the early Seventies, though some observers say it has rarely been more than casual contact.

Combat 18 members regularly turn up at loyalist rallies and a number joined an Apprentice Boys of Londonderry march through Bolton in 1986.

Mr Lowles said, however, that links between C18 and the UDA and the UVF loyalist paramilitary groups had been strengthened recently. In October the man responsible for the links, a former soldier from Portadown, brought seven UVF members to Wigan for a C18 concert.

Such concerts and music sales are a lucrative source of income for C18, now headed by a former Royal Marines Territorial member from south-east London. The organisation publishes music by a range of racist skinhead groups including No Remorse, Celtic Warrior and Razors Edge. The publishing business, operated - at least until recently - from South Wales, has provided the organisation with money to fund its newsletters and magazines such as Strikeforce.

C18 may have a hardcore membership of no more than 40 members, with up to 80 or 90 others who will be called on for "special events".

"It is always being written that they are heavily linked to football hooligans," an intelligence source said yesterday. "Of course there are some who get involved but it is exaggerated. The last time we saw a large number of them getting involved was when they disrupted the 1995 England versus Ireland match in Dublin."

C18 may have adopted a lower profile, though campaigners believe it is no less dangerous.

"There are a lot of people who believe they are preparing to do something quite serious," one said yesterday.

A Who's Who Of Neo-Nazi Groups

In the UK

National Front (NF) - Best-known of UK fascist groups, the most prominent of far-right groups during the 1970s.

British National Party (BNP) - Founded 1992 by ex-NF leader John Tyndall. Its 600 members make it largest UK racist party.

National Democrats (ND) - The far right is riven by factionalism. After a decision to rename the NF the National Democrats in 1995 some members stayed loyal to the old name, others became the ND.

Combat 18 (C18) - The NF, ND, and BNP all share and have lost members to C18, which favours violence and "terrorist" activities. Openly Nazi, the group encourages members to attack racial and sexual minorities.

Blood and Honour - Music-based non-membership organisation, aiming to unite Nazi skinheads in the UK and across Europe.

In Austria

Freedom Movement got 27 per cent of vote in 1996 European election, giving it six MEPs. Leader Joerg Haider has praised Hitler's employment policies.

In France

Splits have weakened Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National as he desperately clings to leadership of a party intent on modernising.

In Germany

From 1990 to 1993 a wave of fascist violence resulted in the death of 75 people as neo-Nazis exploited reunification. The Germans have also been embarrassed by links between neo-Nazis and the army.