“Saxon separatists”
Suspected members of right-wing extremist terrorist group arrested
Racist, anti-Semitic, apocalyptic? A right-wing terrorist group is said to have assumed that Germany would collapse soon – and had plans for “Day X”.
They met for paramilitary training, practiced urban warfare and prepared for “Day X”. Eight suspected members of a right-wing terrorist group calling themselves the “Saxon Separatists” have now been arrested. However, the group is said to be even larger. What is known so far:
What do the security authorities know about the suspected terrorist group?
A young man from the small Saxon town of Brandis is considered the ringleader. He is said to have founded the group that came to the attention of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in November 2020. According to the Federal Prosecutor General, the association consists of 15 to 20 members who pursue a racist, anti-Semitic ideology that is based on National Socialism.
The President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, explains: “The central protagonists of this group are partly very young right-wing extremists who have connections to a scene that is particularly active in virtual space.” It’s about the so-called “Siege scene”.
What is the “Siege Scene”?
Siege refers to a collection of writings from the 1980s by right-wing extremist James Nolan Mason. Among other things, there are thought games regarding a racist-terrorist guerrilla war, which is primarily aimed at infrastructure and political leaders in order to plunge society into a race war. Supporters of this scene glorified the actions of well-known right-wing terrorists and pursued the goal of participating in an expected violent overthrow – “Day X”, says Haldenwang.
Are they typical neo-Nazis?
Partially. According to Haldenwang, several of the accused are known to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution from the spectrum of the so-called New Right or right-wing extremist parties. The common goal of the members of the group was to establish a system modeled on National Socialism, including through the use of violence. According to information from the German Press Agency, the accused include a local AfD politician from Saxony, as well as a young man who represented him at meetings. According to information from security circles, the local politician is said to have been injured during the access. Accordingly, he was holding a long gun in his hand. A police officer is said to have fired two warning shots.
The suspected Reichsbürger terrorists around Prince Reuss were hoarding these weapons
The police found these weapons, among other things, at Markus L.’s home
“Now it’s about clarifying the right-wing extremist network and possible connections to the Identitarian Movement and the AfD,” says Green Party internal politician Marcel Emmerich. The member of the Bundestag believes that these are also relevant questions with a view to a possible AfD ban procedure.
Are the investigations now complete?
No. Evidence was secured during the arrests and is now being evaluated and may provide further information. These could possibly also provide clues to other suspects. This was the case, for example, with the “Reich Citizens” group around Henry XIII. Prince Reuss, where the circle of accused grew larger and larger in the weeks and months after the first attack.
Were there also police measures abroad?
Yes. Therefore, they had to be coordinated with the security authorities in Poland and Austria. In total, over 450 security forces and police officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), special forces from the Federal Police and the Saxony State Criminal Police Office were deployed during the arrests and searches in Germany. With one exception, the arrests of the young men all took place in Saxony, more precisely in the Leipzig area, in Dresden and in the Meißen district. The suspected ringleader was in Poland at the time of the attack. But he also comes from Saxony. In Austria – in Vienna and in the Krems-Land district – the police searched two properties. But no one was arrested there.
What exactly are those arrested accused of?
According to a statement from the Federal Prosecutor General, they are strongly suspected of being members of a terrorist organization. They are accused, among other things, of planning to establish a National Socialist-oriented community in Saxony and possibly also in other East German federal states on an as yet undetermined “Day . The statement from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office states that the accused had expected a collapse of the state and society and wanted to use armed force to “conquer” areas in Saxony and possibly also in other East German states.
Note: This article has been updated several times to include additional information.
DPA
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Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
