Eight German nationals, including one member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, have been detained over their ties to a right-wing terrorist organization, dpa learned on Tuesday.
All but one of the individuals were held in the eastern German state of Saxony, while the suspected ringleader was detained in Poland.
Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office described the group – called the “Saxon Separatists” – as a militant organization of 15 to 20 individuals hoping to “establish a state and society based on National Socialism” in eastern Germany.
Its members, prosecutors said, share a profound rejection of Germany’s free and democratic constitutional order, and an ideology marked by racist, anti-Semitic and apocalyptic beliefs.
The group is reportedly convinced that Germany is on the verge of “collapse,” after which the organization plans to take control of areas in Saxony and possibly other eastern German states by force.
Prosecutors said that, according to the group’s plan, “undesired groups of people are to be removed from the area by ethnic cleansing if necessary.”
AfD member reportedly among those detained
According to unconfirmed reports from dpa sources, the AfD member is allegedly a local politician from Saxony and part of the AfD’s youth faction.
The politician is said to have appeared before the police officers with a long gun during the raid, prompting the police to fire two warning shots.
The reports said the politician sustained a jaw injury during the arrest and is currently undergoing surgery. Witness statements are expected to help clarify how the injury occurred and provide further details on the incident.
The regional branch of the AfD in Saxony rejected any connection to the militant group.
“Our party stands firmly with the free democratic basic order. We have nothing in common with such a presumably neo-Nazi ‘separatist group,’ neither in terms of content nor in terms of organization,” party spokesman Andreas Harlass told dpa.
If the allegations against the politician are confirmed, he will be expelled from the party immediately, a spokesman for the federal party said when asked.
The AfD’s youth faction said too that as far as it is concerned “this is in an independent association that is not organizationally connected to the AfD.”
Individuals underwent paramilitary training
According to the prosecutor, the group is thought to have been formed in November 2020 at the latest. Four of those detained are said to be among the original members, while one is believed to be the group’s ringleader.
The prosecutor said that the group members had repeatedly undergone paramilitary training with combat equipment: “In particular, they practised urban warfare, handling firearms, night and forced marches, and patrolling.”
The group had obtained military equipment such as camouflage suits, helmets, gas masks and protective vests, it said.
German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said: “It is a great success that the Federal Public Prosecutor and the security authorities have managed to uncover these monstrous plans and arrest those responsible.”
At the same time, he said that this investigation is a reminder that Germany’s basic order is threatened from many sides.
“The fact that weapons training had been provided and military equipment procured shows how dangerous these right-wing extremists are,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.
Six remanded in custody
An investigating judge issued a pre-trial detention order for six of the suspects on Tuesday evening, according to a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office in the western city of Karlsruhe.
It was initially unclear when the remaining two suspects would be brought before the judge. The suspected ringleader was still believed to be in Poland, while another man was reportedly injured.
More than 450 members of the security forces and police officers were deployed as part of the operation in Germany alone, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The prosecutor said searches are ongoing for seven additional suspects.
