Germany says it broke up a far-right group that planned attacks. 5 teens have been arrested
The early-morning arrests in various parts of Germany were accompanied by searches at 13 properties, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Four of those arrested — identified only as Benjamin H., Ben-Maxim H., Lenny M. and Jason R., in line with German privacy rules — are suspected of membership in a domestic terror organization. The fifth, Jerome M., is accused of supporting the group. Two of the arrested also are accused of attempted murder and aggravated arson. All are between the ages of 14 and 18.
Prosecutors said they are also investigating three other people, ages 18 to 21, who are already in custody. All the suspects are German citizens.
According to the prosecutors, the group was formed in mid-April 2024 or earlier. They said that its members saw themselves as the last resort to defend the 'German nation' and aimed to bring about the collapse of Germany's democratic order, with attacks on homes for asylum-seekers and on facilities associated with the left-wing political spectrum.
Two of the suspects set a fire at a cultural center in Altdöbern in eastern Germany in October, prosecutors said, adding that several people living in the building at the time escaped injury only by chance.
In January, another two suspects allegedly broke a window at a home for asylum-seekers in Schmölln and tried unsuccessfully to start a blaze by setting off fireworks. They daubed the group's initials and slogans such as 'Foreigners out,' 'Germany for the Germans' and 'Nazi area,' as well as swastikas, prosecutors said.
Also in January, three suspects allegedly planned an arson attack on a home for asylum-seekers in Senftenberg, but it never came about because of the earlier arrests of two of the men.
Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said it was 'particularly shocking' that all of those arrested Wednesday were minors at the time the group was allegedly founded.
'This is an alarm signal and it shows that right-wing extremist terrorism knows no age,' Hubig said in a statement.
In a separate case a week ago, German authorities banned a far-right group called 'Kingdom of Germany' as a threat to the country's democratic order and arrested four of its alleged leaders.
In an annual report released Tuesday, the Federal Criminal Police Office said that the number of violent crimes with a right-wing motivation was up 17.2 per cent last year to 1,488. That was part of an overall increase in violent politically motivated offenses to 4,107, an increase of 15.3%.
Geir Moulson, The Associated Press
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CTV News
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National Post
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CTV News
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U.K. to prosecute more than 60 people for supporting banned pro-Palestine group
Demonstrators hold up a banner during a protest by Palestine Action group in London, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) At least 60 people will be prosecuted for 'showing support' for the recently proscribed Palestine Action group, in addition to three already charged, London's Metropolitan Police said on Friday. 'We have put arrangements in place that will enable us to investigate and prosecute significant numbers each week if necessary,' the Met said in a statement. More than 700 people have been arrested since it was banned as a terrorist group in early July, including 522 people arrested at a protest last weekend for displaying placards backing the group -- thought to be the highest ever recorded number of detentions at a single protest in the UK capital. 'The decisions that we have announced today are the first significant numbers to come out of the recent protests, and many more can be expected in the next few weeks,' said Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson. 'People should be clear about the real-life consequences for anyone choosing to support Palestine Action,' said Parkinson. Demonstrators shout and gesture toward a police line during a protest by Palestine Action group in London, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) Demonstrators shout and gesture toward a police line during a protest by Palestine Action group in London, Monday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) The first three people were charged earlier this month with offences under the Terrorism Act for backing Palestine Action, after they were arrested at a July demonstration. According to police, those charged for such offences could face up to six months imprisonment, as well as other consequences. 'I am proud of how our police and CPS (prosecution) teams have worked so speedily together to overcome misguided attempts to overwhelm the justice system,' Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said. In a statement following the latest mass arrests, Interior Minister Yvette Cooper defended the Labour government's decision, insisting: 'U.K. national security and public safety must always be our top priority.' 'The assessments are very clear -- this is not a non-violent organization,' she added. The government outlawed Palestine Action on July 7, days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7.0 million (US$9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft. The group said its activists were responding to Britain's indirect military support for Israel amid the war in Gaza. Britain's interior ministry has insisted that Palestine Action was also suspected of other 'serious attacks' that involved 'violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage'. Critics including the United Nations, Amnesty International and Greenpeace have slammed the proscription as legal overreach and warned that the ensuing arrests threaten free speech. The U.K.'s Liberal Democrat party said that it was 'deeply concerned about the use of terrorism powers against peaceful protesters'.
