Twelve ‘far-right terrorists’ arrested in Germany over ‘plot to spark civil war by attacking politicians and Muslims’
GERMAN police have arrested 12 ‘suspected terrorists’, including one of its own officers, in a series of nationwide raids.
Their objective was to hunt for people linked to an extreme-right group suspected of planning attacks on politicians, asylum-seekers and Muslims.
On Friday, the planned raids saw heavily armed special units strike 13 locations across six German states.
In a statement, federal prosecutors said four of the prime suspects wanted to create “a civil-war-like situation... via as yet undefined attacks on politicians, asylum seekers and people of Muslim faith.”
A further eight suspects were alleged to have agreed to “financially support the group, provide it with weapons or take part in future attacks”.
One of the men, a police officer previously suspended over suspected links to far right groups, was arrested, a source at the interior ministry in the North-Rhine Westphalia state confirmed on Friday.
However, it is not immediately clear if he was one of the prime suspects.
According to Der Spiegel magazine, police discovered several weapons in yesterday's raids.
It included one self-made 'slam gun' - a crude homemade firearm consisting of a barrel, breechblock and a firing mechanism - similar to the one used in the Halle attack.
From its founding in September 2019, the group's ultimate aim was 'to shake the state and social order in Germany and in the end to overturn it,' investigators believe.
The group had allegedly held meetings which were coordinated and organised by two of the main suspects, who have been named only as Werner S and Tony E.
The suspects, all of whom are German citizens, also communicated using messenger apps.
Investigators launched Friday's raids to determine whether the suspects already had weapons or other supplies that could be used in an attack.
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The suspects are set to appear before a court today to hear whether they will be imprisoned on remand.
A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel branded the threats to attack Islamic institutions in Germany as “abominable behaviour”.
Speaking at a Government press conference, Steffen Seibert, head of the Press and Information Office, said: “We as the federal government feel an obligation to ensure that anyone in Germany can practice their religion within the bounds of our legal order."
