Raids against suspected right-wing extremists in eleven federal states

ESince the morning, investigators have been conducting a major campaign in eleven federal states against suspected suspects right-wing extremists in front. Four people from the environment of an Eisenach martial arts group were arrested, said a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor in Karlsruhe on Wednesday. There is a suspicion of membership in a criminal organization. There are 50 suspects nationwide.

Loud federal prosecutor the deployment had been preceded by investigations since 2019, in particular against the “Atomwaffe Division” (AWD), the German offshoot of a right-wing extremist group founded in the United States.

The martial arts group is therefore “Knockout 51”. The group acted from Eisenach in Thuringia. The allegations are about physical harm, especially against people from the left-wing scene, it said. The accused are said to have tried to “ensure order” with neighborhood strips. In addition, members of “Knockout 51” are said to have taken part in protests against the Corona measures in order to provoke violence there.

Of the searches According to the information, the “Flieder Volkshaus” in Eisenach, in which the state headquarters of the right-wing extremist NPD is located, is also affected. The martial arts group training is said to have taken place in the house.

According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the right-wing extremist group “Combat 18”, which was banned in early 2020, was also affected by the raids. This is about violations of the prohibition of association.

The President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, said the raids were “an important blow to the violent right-wing extremist scene and a great success for the security authorities.” The federal government’s recently intensified package of measures against right-wing extremism in Germany is having an effect. “We take just as consistent action against attempts to succeed banned organizations as we do against the right-wing extremist martial arts scene.”