German police raid homes of suspected members of right-wing extremist organisations

By
Irfan Aftab
|
January 25, 2017

Authorities in Germany have searched 12 apartments belonging to right-wing extremists in several states

BERLIN: Police raids have targeted six suspects accused of planning attacks on policemen, asylum-seekers and Jews, while seven suspects are accused of supporting such groups, according to federal prosecutor office in Karlsruhe.

On Wednesday early morning around 200 police officers were deployed to carry out raids on 12 apartments. Moreover, search operations took place in Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Pfalz and Saxony-Anhalt.

However, the investigations are directed primarily against a so-called "Reichsbürger"(Citizens of the Reich) movement. The German media reported that right-wing extremists might be involved in forming an extremist organisation.

Earlier, the "Tagesspiegel" German daily newspaper based on security sources, reported that the right-wing violence in Germany seems to be on the rise.

Last year, the number of violent right-wing extremists had risen to 12,100. This is clearly more than half the entire spectrum with about 23,000 people. This continues the trend of the past years.

AFP adds: Police swooped on 12 homes and other sites in six states "as part of a federal investigation on suspicion of forming a right-wing extremist organisation", the prosecutor´s office said in a statement.

Six suspects, "connected primarily via social media", are accused of founding the group "and in early 2016 beginning plans for armed attacks against police officers as representatives of the state, asylum seekers and members of the Jewish community".

Another seven people are believed to have offered assistance to the group including acquiring weapons.

"The aim of today´s raids is to gather evidence of the formation of a group as well as suspected crimes and potential material for use in those crimes," it said.

"There is not as yet any evidence of specific attack plans."



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