Throng

macintyre’s underworld
mad dog and nazi nick
22.00–23.05

Two years after profiling exiled terrorist Johnny ‘Mad Dog’ Adair, investigative reporter Donal MacIntyre returns to find out what happened when Adair met up with a reformed neo-Nazi in search of a new cause.

After serving prison time for directing acts of terrorism, Johnny ‘Mad Dog’ Adair was living in exile in Scotland, forced out of Northern Ireland by his own people, when he got a message from a man he had never met: Nick Greger, the head of a neo-Nazi group in Dresden, Germany. While in prison for plotting an act of terror, Greger had heard that his idol Adair was vulnerable from attack by his enemies and organised a team of bodyguards to protect him and his family. Now, two years later, Greger has been released from prison and has big plans for himself and the man he idolises.

Greger’s fascination with Adair developed while he was in prison. Paroled after two years, Greger ended up in South Africa where he aligned himself with the AWB white power group to get what he describes as “a paramiliatary education”. He says that heading to Angola to buy weapons to use in the race war, Greger encountered someone who would change everything. After picking up a black hitch-hiker, Greger met the man’s sister and was awed by her beauty. “One day I couldn’t hear my own Nazi music,” he explains. When he eventually returned to Germany, he was thrown back into jail – but found that his experiences had shaken his Nazi convictions to the core. Looking for new inspiration, Greger found it in the charismatic Adair and became infatuated with him, creating a cult of similarly star-struck fans in Dresden.

“He’s a good guy,” says Adair of his number one fan, “but above all he’s a loyal guy.” Adair never forgot the loyalty Greger showed when he sent his friends to look out for him, and professes to be “proud and excited” at the thought of being a role model to the men.

When Adair meets up with Greger in Dresden, the two men talk about what their futures hold. They both know that the world they knew has now left them behind, and they need a new purpose. To this end, Greger tells Adair about his new plan. He claims to have renounced his Nazi past and become a born-again Christian, and tells Adair that he had a vision telling him to go to Uganda and build an orphanage. He wants to name it after Adair’s C Company cell of the Ulster Freedom Fighters, and hopes that he will be involved in the project – but it later transpires that there may be more to his trip than helping the children and giving “something back”. The last time Greger was in Uganda, he says he was involved in arms dealing and dabbled in blood diamonds.

Adair believes Greger is sincere about the orphanage, and voices his concerns that the authorities may make things difficult for his friend. There are other dangers in this unstable region, especially as Greger appeared to have rekindled links with Russian mafia contacts and Congo warlords. When Adair arrives in Uganda, he becomes concerned about the lack of contact with his friend – has he been arrested or perhaps crossed the wrong people?

After a few days, Greger finally answers his phone. Adair’s relief turns to surprise when he learns that Greger has had to flee to Tanzania due to “problems” in Uganda – and has become engaged to a young Tanzanian woman he just met. Things have certainly changed since Greger spent his time attacking black people and immigrants on the German streets.

These two former terrorists may have moved on from their murderous campaigns, but it appears they can still see opportunities in war-torn Africa.