Al Jazeera Investigation – Contract Killers and the Far Right
Contract Killers and the Far Right is an Al Jazeera’s Investigation that exposes the links between the right-wing student movement Turning Point UK which has organised and participated in anti-immigrant protests in the UK and an armed paramilitary who can arrange murders for money.
This investigation focuses on Allan Nesbitt, a convicted violent criminal with links the Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force or UVF who offers to have people killed for money. The investigation exposes his involvement in the UK’s recent far right protests, a connection that has law enforcement experts worried about a possible escalation in anti-migrant violence.
In 2021 an undercover reporter from the Al Jazeera’s investigative team began work with Turning Point UK. The group is an independent offshoot of one of the most powerful conservative groups in the United States, Turning Point USA.
Turning Point UK has been publicly endorsed by senior politicians and former government ministers in the British Conservative Party, as well as by leaders of Reform UK.
Turning Point UK’s CEO Jack Ross, who has run as a Conservative Party candidate introduced our undercover reporter to Allan Nesbitt. From Glasgow in Scotland, Nesbitt has multiple criminal convictions, including two for violent knife attacks and drug possession. Al Jazeera discovered that Ross, acting on behalf of the Zimbabwe government, had paid thousands of pounds to Nesbitt to organise a fake political rally in support of lifting UK sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
Ross described Nesbitt as a member of both the far-right, anti-migrant group the “Patriots of Britain” and the Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary group the “Ulster Volunteer Force” or UVF, which is a proscribed terrorist organization.
During a secretly recorded meeting, the TPUK boss revealed that Nesbitt, through his UVF links, can arrange violent attacks for money.
In an undercover sting the reporters met Nesbitt and asked if he could deal with a fictitious business rival. The self-confessed paramilitary leader confirmed that for the right price he could arrange their execution.
He explained how he would use UVF paramilitaries to carry out the killing, but he warned our undercover reporters of the dangers involved, describing the men as terrorists and trained killers.
Former Deputy Director of the National Crime Agency in the UK Roy McComb, states that he believes the links between a paramilitary backed criminal and the British anti migrant protest movement, pose a risk to the public.
Roy Mcomb told Al Jazeera: “Firearms are simply tools that can be sold and that could be sold into the far right. They can be sold into people who have a hostility towards migrants… then you've got yourself in a really dangerous situation.”
Jack Ross denied our findings “completely”, claiming that everything he said to our undercover reporter was not meant seriously.
The other parties featured did not respond to our inquiries.
Contract Killers and the Far Right
Watch on Al Jazeera English at these times:
Tuesday 20th October 2000gmt
Wednesday 21st October 1200gmt
Thursday 22nd October 0100gmt
Friday 23rd October 2000gmt
