Berlin, April 7 (BNA) Hundreds of German police officers have carried out raids across the country against far-right groups, including one already banned in Germany.
About 800 police officers took part in the morning raids that took place in 11 out of 16 federal states in Germany and targeted about 50 suspects in total, reports the German news agency (dpa).
A spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said that four leading members of a martial arts group called Knockout 51 in the central German town of Eisenach have been arrested on suspicion of belonging to a criminal organization.
Prosecutors said the martial arts group is accused of committing acts of violence, particularly against known leftists and police. Members of the group reportedly “maintained order” with neighborhood street patrols leading to several seriously injured people between February 2021 and January 2022.
Under the guise of group physical training, [the suspects] It lured nationalist-minded youth and indoctrinates them with extreme right-wing ideas.”
German media reports said members of the group had taken part in protests against coronavirus restrictions in order to provoke violence.
The four are expected to appear before a judge on Wednesday or Thursday to decide whether they should be remanded in custody.
The headquarters of the far-right National Democratic Party was also reported to have been targeted in the raids. It is said that training sessions for a martial arts group were held there.
Prosecutors said the far-right group Combat 18, which was banned at the start of 2020, was also targeted. The racist and anti-Semitic neo-Nazi group originated in Britain and has spread to more than a dozen countries.
About 21 suspects are accused of breaching the 2020 ban and trying to keep the organization running.
Security sources told dpa that propaganda materials and a large amount of data were seized on hard disks.
Another group subject to Wednesday’s raids is the Atomwaffen Division Deutschland – an apparent branch of the American neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division. Prosecutors said they are investigating 10 members or supporters of the group.
The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, Thomas Haldenwig, said the raids were “a powerful blow against the scene of the violent right and a major success for the security forces”.
Haldenwig said the raids were part of efforts to expose supporters of the so-called “siege” scene, which distributes terrorist propaganda on the Internet and aims to unleash a civil war in Germany.