The founder of a California-based white supremacist group who is wanted for allegedly inciting a riot and taking part in violence in the U.S. is being tracked down by Bosnian police, after he was expelled from neighboring Serbia.
According to a report by Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), Robert Rundo, one of the founders of a US far-right organization called Rise Above Movement (RAM), entered the eastern European country on February 11.
Rundo and others are accused of physically assaulting people who were protesting against then-U.S. President Donald Trump in California in 2017.
RAM is a white supremacist group based in Southern California, whose members believe they are fighting against a modern world corrupted by "destructive social influences" of liberals, Jews, Muslims and non-white immigrants, according to anti-hate organization ADL. The group, founded by Rundo in 2017, includes individuals that have faced serious criminal charges, such as assault, robbery and weapon offenses. Some of its members are trained in mixed martial arts.
Bellingcat, the investigative journalism website, reported last November that Rundo was living in several eastern European countries. In Serbia, BIRN confirmed that he continued to record videos with far-right messages. After Rundo entered Bosnia, his Active Club Podcast was broadcast at least once via RAM's website, and he made a guest appearance on the Australian far-right podcast Voice of Zealandia.
Although much of RAM's activities have been online during the pandemic, Rundo is also alleged to have forged alliances with European far-right groups, with social media posts showing him at fascist events in Budapest.
On 29 March, Youtube removed Rundo's neo-Nazi channel, following a report by Newsweek on how Rundo had been using the channel to offer tips to viewers on how to avoid Homeland Security,
US-fascist #RobertRundo leader of the far-right "Rise Above Movement" at the fascist-event #DayOfHonour in #Budapest Feb. 08 2020https://t.co/wG9dMDPlTn@jo_mendelson @161EUG @afainatl @HubCityAntifa @ColborneMichael
— element (@__investigate__) February 12, 2020
Copyright: element investigate pic.twitter.com/7xcHVAuEps
Svevlad Hoffman, an adviser to the Bosnian Border Police director, told the Baltic network that Rundo entered Bosnia via the Sepak border crossing near Zvornik on February 11. He first attempted to enter the country via the Raca border crossing on February 10, but was turned back as he did not have a negative COVID-19 PCR test, Hoffman said.
"At that point, the Border Police did not have at their disposal the information that Rundo posed a threat to national security, because the OSA [Bosnia's Intelligence and Security Agency] did not provide the information in time," Hoffman said.
Newsweek has contacted the Intelligence–Security Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Bosnian border police force, for comment.
On 4 March, a US Federal Appeals Court reinstated rioting charges against Rundo and three other men, ruling that they could be tried for their roles in riots in California in 2017.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Rundo and the others are accused of rioting and conspiracy by recruiting and training people to fight and taking part in violence in 2017 in Berkeley, San Bernardino and Huntington Beach in California.
The FBI says Rundo was caught on video punching a police officer and assaulting people who were protesting against Trump.
RAM members attended a violent rally by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, during which a counter-protester was killed.
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Jack Dutton is a Newsweek Reporter based in Cape Town, South Africa. His focus is reporting on global politics and ... Read more
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