Crackdown on a violent far-right group

\German judiciary announced Wednesday that it had dismantled a group of violent right-wing extremists and arrested five youths suspected of carrying out and planning attacks, notably against asylum seekers.

The suspects, minors at the time of the acts, belong to "a right-wing terrorist organization" whose "goal is to provoke the collapse of the democratic system ... through acts of violence mainly targeting migrants and political opponents," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Founded "at the latest by mid-April 2024," this group is suspected of having carried out at least two attacks in eastern Germany in recent months. In October, they set fire to a cultural center where several people were present. In January, they attempted to shoot inside an asylum seekers’ accommodation center and tagged several slogans such as "Ausländer raus" (Foreigners out), "Deutschland den Deutschen" (Germany for Germans).

These acts did not result in any injuries, the prosecutor's office noted.

The cell, named "Letzte Verteidigungswelle" (Last Defense Wave), considers itself "the last line of defense of the 'German nation'" and was planning "notably arson attacks and bombings against asylum seekers’ accommodation centers and left-wing political facilities, which could lead to death."

The new government coalition led by conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz, which took office last week, has to deal with the rise of far-right extremist ideologies.

The number of offenses related to far-right ideology increased by 48% in Germany last year, according to figures released Tuesday by the Interior Ministry. Almost one out of every two politically motivated offenses was related to the far right, according to the same statistics. The far-right party AfD is now the main opposition force in the lower house of parliament after achieving a record score in the February legislative elections.