It’s a huge blow to the right-wing scene: Since this morning, investigators have been taking action against alleged right-wing extremists in eleven federal states. Four people from the environment of an Eisenach martial arts group were arrested, a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor in Karlsruhe said on Wednesday.
The mirror and other media had previously reported. One of the suspects is a noncommissioned officer active in the Bundeswehr. The 26-year-old served, among other things, with armored troops in Munster, Lower Saxony, and was observed by the military counter-intelligence service, but still had “constant access to weapons and ammunition”.
According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, investigations predated the operation since 2019, in particular against the “Nuclear Weapons Division” (AWD), the German offshoot of a US-based right-wing extremist group said to be responsible for five murders. In the USA. In Germany, authorities first noticed it in June 2018. There are indications of activities against the free-democratic basic order, he said. The “Nuclear Weapons Division” became known in Germany in autumn 2019 for death threats against green politicians Cem Özdemir and Claudia Roth.
According to the federal prosecutor, the martial arts group is “Knockout 51”. The group acted from Eisenach in Thuringia. The allegations are about physical harm, especially against people on the left, he said. The defendants reportedly tried to “ensure order” with neighborhood banners. In addition, members of “Knockout 51” reportedly participated in protests against the federal government’s protective measures against the crown to provoke violence in the area.
According to reports, the “Flieder Volkshaus” in Eisenach, which houses the state headquarters of the extremist right-wing NPD, is also affected by the searches. It is said that the martial arts group training took place at the house. According to the federal prosecutor, the right-wing extremist group “Combat 18”, which was banned in early 2020, was also affected by the raids. These are violations of the ban on association.
According to the chairman of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, the current searches are “a major blow against the far-right violent scene and a great success for the security authorities”. The package of measures recently stepped up by the federal government against right-wing extremism in Germany is having an effect, Haldenwang told DPA Wednesday morning. “We take just as consistent action against the successful attempts of banned organizations as we do against the extremist right-wing martial arts scene.”