One of the suspects in the treason case opened by DIICOT is retired Major General Radu Theodoru, aged 101.
He is a founding member of the PRM and is part of the Opus Nostrum organization, which aimed to organize a coup. A supporter of Călin Georgescu, Theodoru holds radical anti-EU and anti-NATO views but was commended by the Minister of Defense for „protecting values and freedoms.”
Retired Air Flotilla General Ioan-Radu Theodoru, 101 years old, is a war veteran. He attended the Bucharest Aviation Officers School and was sent to the front in August 1944 while still a student there, according to Agerpres. He received several decorations, including the "Commemorative Cross of the Second World War, 1941 – 1945."
Theodoru was a founding member of the PRM, serving as the right-hand man to Cornel Vadim Tudor for a period but was later expelled from the party following a conflict with the "tribune."
The Father of the Opus Nostrum Organization Planning the Coup
The General is a high-ranking member of the Opus Nostrum organization, which promotes extremist actions. The organization has a leadership body called "Vlad Țepeș Command."
Opus Nostrum was formed during the pandemic and was finalized "somewhere in 2022" when it was given this name, as stated on the group's website.
The organization believes that NATO forces in Romania are occupying troops and promotes conspiracy theories regarding the political class and EU membership. Opus Nostrum aimed to overthrow the institutional order in Romania, dissolve political parties, and negotiate Romania's exit from NATO. Members of the group even traveled to Moscow to discuss this matter.
The criminal group was organized as a military structure with a headquarters and aimed to resume economic and cultural relations with Russia, China, and Iran while declaring Romania's neutrality.
It is worth noting that six people were detained on Wednesday for treason. Among them is Adrian Robertin Dinu, the founder of the Vlad Țepeș Command Staff.
The organized crime group operated under the guise of an organization and developed as a military-type structure with leadership tiers (headquarters) and execution personnel, represented by the image of the investigated suspect, a retired Major General, as specified by DIICOT.
Several posts on the organization's website call for Romania's exit from NATO, the resumption of economic and cultural relations with Russia, China, and Iran, as well as a new leadership structure in Romania through the "Geta" project, led by a so-called "Council of Sages".
Three years ago, Gen. Radu Theodoru, along with several retired military personnel and Eugen Sechila, a Legionnaire mercenary and lieutenant of Călin Georgescu, signed an open letter to former President Klaus Iohannis and former Prime Minister Florin Cîțu, accusing them of working "against the national interest." They demanded the abandonment of the globalist-neomarxist agenda and to stop being enemies of the Romanian people.
Supporter of Georgescu, AUR Sympathizer, Praised by Russians
General Radu Theodoru is also a supporter of Călin Georgescu, whom he considers an "elected president."
In a video posted on Facebook in January, he called for Georgescu to be recognized as the head of state and for former interim President Klaus Iohannis to relinquish power to him.
General Radu Theodoru is a frequent presence in Sputnik, Moscow's propaganda outlet, where he is praised for his anti-EU messages. For him, the EU represents "the brothel of contemporary humanoids turned back to the era of troglodytes."
In 2020, he urged Romanians to vote for AUR, stating that Romanians must "punish through voting the Sorosist parties that have brought the country to economic disaster, shattered family unity, and weakened the state's strength."
Theodoru advocated for supporting AUR because "it has General Mircea Chelaru with four stars among its ranks."
In 2023, Radu Theodoru attended the Russian Embassy to celebrate "Russian Diplomat Day," an event also attended by Diana Șoșoacă.
Holocaust Denier, Praised Hitler
Radu Theodoru is also a controversial writer. He has published historical works and novels with nationalist themes. As a result, he was accused of "Legionary beliefs" at one point and was temporarily excluded from the Writers' Union.
Theodoru is known for his far-right beliefs, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial. He claimed that "the Holocaust has become the most profitable Jewish business ever, enriching the so-called eyewitness authors who manufactured series with exaggerated aberrations and pathological visions," as stated by the International Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania.
Radu Theodoru also asserted that Adolf Hitler "was an invention of the Jews, a mere puppet in their hands," according to the report.
According to the mentioned source, Theodoru is "the only publicist, to our knowledge, openly propagating full denial."
The Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania reported in 2023 that Radu Theodoru is an antisemitic and militant denialist, a founding member of an extremist party, after being praised by the Ministry of National Defense on Facebook.
Subsequently, the Ministry of National Defense deleted its post and issued apologies, according to Newsweek.
Ministry of National Defense Issues Apologies. Again
However, in January, on Theodoru's 101st birthday, he received a congratulatory letter from the Minister of Defense. "You are an example of courage, dedication, and sacrifice, and through your sacrifice, you have contributed to protecting the values and freedoms we cherish today. Thank you for everything you have done to ensure a better future," stated the letter signed by Minister Angel Tîlvăr and dated 01/17/2025.
The Ministry of National Defense reacted on Thursday afternoon, stating that it "actively and systematically implements programs and measures to prevent, combat, and punish radicalization and hate speech, as well as any forms of denial and distortion of the Holocaust, antisemitic and xenophobic manifestations, and all forms of intolerance."
"Therefore, considering the public antisemitic and xenophobic attitudes systematically promoted by Mr. Major General (Ret.) Theodoru, such a congratulatory message should not have been proposed for signing and sending to the recipient by the structure managing the veterans' issues," as stated in the MApN press release.
Tîlvăr offers apologies on behalf of the ministry and expresses regret for such an error, reiterating MApN's firm policy to unequivocally distance itself from any xenophobic, antisemitic, and hate-inciting attitudes, as stated by the ministry.