German police just raided the homes of right-wing extremists allegedly planning attacks on refugees and Jews
The raids were part of an investigation into a far-right extremist group suspected of plotting armed attacks against police, Jews, and asylum seekers - although investigators have so far not found evidence pointing to concrete terror plans.
About 200 police officers searched the homes of seven people, six of whom are believed to be part of the "Reichsbürger" group, and are suspected of having formed a terrorist organisation. Another individual's home was raided after they reportedly helped the group obtain arms and ammunition, Deutsche Welle reports.
"The goal of today's search measures was to obtain further evidence of the actual creation of a formal group, as well as the alleged planned criminal acts and any potential tools," the chief prosecutor's office said in a statement. The suspects reportedly started planning armed attacks in the spring of 2016.
The suspects were largely connected via social media and were believed to be part of the "Reichsbürger" group, which translates to "Citizen of the Reich." The group does not recognise the Federal Republic and claims that the German Reich continues to this day.
The "Reichsbürger" group received a lot of media attention when one of their members shot dead a police officer last October during a police raid to seize the man's firearms.
The Federal Office for Constitutional Protection warned on Wednesday that their numbers were growing. "We are currently counting about 10,000 people on the 'Reichsbürger' scene," Hans-Georg Maaßen, President of the Federal Office for Constitutional Protection told der Spiegel.
"The 'Reichsbürger' have a high attractiveness and continues to attract new supporters. Not all member refer to the German Reich. In many cases, we are dealing with people who want to found their own state or their own community," Maaßen added.
Right-wing extremists are becoming more violent
Almost 50% of all known right-wing extremists in Germany are prone to violence, German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported on Wednesday, citing security sources. The number of right-wing extremists prone to violence increased by 300 persons to 12,100 in just one year.
The report also found an increasing number of right-wing extremists who are first-time offenders and were previously unknown to intelligence services.
After years of decline, the number of people who are thought to be far-right extremists in Germany grew nearly 8% from 21,000 in 2014 to 22,600 in 2015, according to Interior Ministry data released in June last year.
In its annual report, the Interior Ministry added that the resurgent "intensity of right-wing extremist militancy" was observed in spring 2015 - the start of a mass arrival of asylum seekers in Germany. The report also mentions an "exorbitant increase in right-wing extremist violence," and highlights that the high number of refugees coming into the country encouraged a now widespread connectivity between right-wing extremists.