Latest news with #JeromeM
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German police arrest teenage neo-Nazis over alleged attacks on migrants
German police have staged early morning raids against an alleged far-right 'terrorist' cell on suspicion of attacks against asylum seekers and political enemies, arresting five teenage suspects, federal prosecutors have said. The operation on Wednesday targeting a neo-Nazi group calling itself 'Last Defence Wave' marked the latest high-profile action against groups Germany says are working to destabilise its democratic order. Four of those arrested – named only as Benjamin H, Ben-Maxim H, Lenny M and Jason R, in line with German privacy rules – are suspected of membership of a 'domestic terror organisation'. The fifth, Jerome M, is accused of supporting the group. Two of the suspects are accused of attempted murder and aggravated arson. All five are German citizens between the ages of 14 and 18. Prosecutors said in a statement they were also investigating three other people, aged 18 to 21, who are already in custody in connection with the case. The arrests took place in three states and were accompanied by searches at 13 properties in five regions. Authorities believe the Last Defence Wave group began in April 2024 at the latest. The justice minister, Stefanie Hubig, said what was 'particularly shocking is that all those arrested today are said to have been minors when the terrorist group was founded'. 'This is an alarm signal and it shows that rightwing extremist terrorism knows no age,' she said in a statement. Prosecutors said the group's members 'see themselves as the last line of defence of the 'German nation''. Their intent is 'to bring about the collapse of the democratic system in the Federal Republic of Germany through acts of violence, primarily against migrants and political opponents'. Two of the suspects allegedly set fire to a cultural centre in the eastern town Altdöbern in October, prosecutors said, adding that several people living at the property at the time were lucky to escape. Ben-Maxim H is believed to have written a speech delivered in a video by Lenny M before the arson attack, encouraging other group members to commit similar acts. The public broadcaster ARD said online chats linked to the group and including about 200 people glorified the Nazi regime and propagated large scale, politically motivated attacks. In January, another two suspects allegedly smashed a window at a home for asylum-seekers in Schmölln, eastern Germany and tried unsuccessfully to start a blaze by setting off fireworks inside, prosecutors said. They are believed to have sprayed the group's initials on a wall, swastikas and slogans such as 'foreigners out', 'Germany for the Germans' and 'Nazi territory' while flashing the straight-armed Hitler salute. The same month, three suspects allegedly planned an arson attack on a shelter for asylum-seekers in the eastern town of Senftenberg and acquired explosive material from the Czech Republic. But the alleged plot was foiled because of the earlier arrests of two members, reportedly using the findings of an undercover television reporter. News magazine Der Spiegel said Last Defence Wave actively recruited new members using Instagram, TikTok, Telegram and WhatsApp, setting a minimum age of 15. Investigators found more than 70 chat groups across the country with what they say are links to the group. Der Spiegel quoted experts as saying the surge in youth interest in violent neo-Nazi groups recalled the notorious 'baseball-bat years' after national reunification in 1990 when a wave of racist, homophobic and anti-leftist attacks rocked Germany. In a separate case last week, authorities outlawed a cult-like far-right group called 'Kingdom of Germany' as a threat to the country's democratic order and arrested four of its alleged organisers including the ringleader Peter Fitzek, the self-proclaimed Peter I. The Federal Criminal Police Office said in an annual report released on Tuesday that the number of violent crimes with a rightwing motive in Germany was up more than 17% last year to 1,488. That was part of an overall 15% increase in violent politically motivated offences to 4,107.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- CTV News
Germany says it broke up a far-right group that planned attacks. 5 teens have been arrested
BERLIN — German police on Wednesday arrested five teenagers accused of involvement with a right-wing extremist group calling itself 'Last Defense Wave' that allegedly aimed to destabilize the country's democratic system by carrying out attacks on migrants and political opponents. 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
Al Jazeera
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Germany arrests minors over alleged attacks on asylum seekers, migrants
German police have arrested five people accused of involvement with a far-right group calling itself 'Last Wave of Defence', which allegedly aimed to carry out attacks on asylum seekers, migrants and political opponents. The early-morning arrests on Wednesday in various parts of Germany followed arson attacks on a community centre and a refugee shelter. Germany's Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said in a statement that what was 'particularly shocking is that all those arrested today are said to have been minors when the terrorist group was founded'. According to federal prosecutors, 13 properties were also searched on Wednesday as part of the operation. 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 terrorist organisation. The fifth, Jerome M, is accused of supporting the group. Two of the arrested are also accused of attempted murder and aggravated arson. Their ages were not disclosed. Prosecutors said they are also investigating three other people who are already in custody. 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. Two of the suspects set a fire at a cultural centre in Altdobern in eastern Germany in October, prosecutors alleged, 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 Schmolln 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' on the walls, 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. Politically motivated crimes in Germany surged about 40 percent to a record high last year, a report by the interior ministry showed on Tuesday, with an especially sharp growth seen in far-right violence. In recent years, anti-immigrant and refugee sentiments have grown in Germany, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) expanding its number of seats in the German parliament on an anti-immigrant platform in elections earlier this year. Chancellor Friedrich Merz had also campaigned on dramatically tightening border policy and bringing irregular migration to a halt. Since taking office under a coalition, his government has also laid out a range of tougher proposals, including suspending family reunification for many refugees, and implementing plans for deportations to previously excluded countries such as Syria and Afghanistan.
CNA
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Germany arrests far-right teenagers over asylum seeker attacks
BERLIN: German police on Wednesday (May 21) arrested five teenagers accused of forming a far-right militant group called the "Last Wave of Defence" that targeted asylum seekers and plotted to undermine the government. The suspects, reportedly aged 14 to 18, were members or supporters of the "right-wing extremist terrorist organisation" founded in April last year, federal prosecutors said. Their goal was "to bring about the collapse of the democratic system in the Federal Republic of Germany through acts of violence", the prosecutors' office said in a statement. The juveniles saw themselves as defenders of the "German nation" and had allegedly planned "arson and bomb attacks on asylum seekers' homes and institutions on the political left". Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said it was "particularly shocking" that the suspects arrested were all "minors when the terrorist group was founded". "This is a warning sign and shows that right-wing extremist terrorism knows no age," Hubig said. Police launched raids on 13 properties nationwide and arrested the four alleged group members and one supporter. All had been minors over the age of criminal responsibility at the time of most of the crimes, prosecutors said. Two of the suspects, partially identified as Jerome M and Lenny M, were also accused of attempted murder and arson, prosecutors said. ARSON ATTACK The pair allegedly set fire to a cultural centre in the town of Altdoebern in the eastern region of Brandenburg in October. At the time, the building was occupied by several people, who escaped unscathed, prosecutors said. The centre was thought to have been targeted because it was seen as left-wing and its management had spoken out against right-wing extremism in the past, Die Welt daily has reported. A third member of the group, named as Ben-Maxim H, drafted a speech which was read by Lenny M in a video inciting others to carry out similar attacks. The police raids Wednesday also targeted properties linked to three other alleged group members who were already in custody. Two of those previously arrested allegedly smashed a window of an asylum seekers' shelter and hurled fireworks inside, but without sparking a fire, in Schmoelln in the eastern region of Thuringia in January. They also sprayed the building with Swastikas and slogans including "Foreigners Out", "Germany for the Germans" and "Nazi Territory", and made Nazi salutes outside the building. "RADICALISATION" Three group members had jointly planned to attack another asylum shelter in January and had procured two firework "bombs" to carry out the attack, prosecutors said. Previous arrests made by police however meant the supposed attack plan was never carried out. Germany has been on alert after a rise in politically motivated crimes, with the threat of far-right extremism growing in particular. Officials on Tuesday reported a 40-per cent surge last year in such offences, ranging from hate speech to acts of physical violence. In total, a record 84,172 politically motivated crimes were recorded in 2024, almost half of them motivated by far-right ideology. Presenting the report, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt voiced concern over the "fast-growing development ... of extreme right-wing youth movements". Federal criminal police chief Holger Muench said the rise reflected increased "polarisation and radicalisation in society" and showed that Germany's "democracy is under pressure".
Arab News
21-05-2025
- Arab News
Germany says it broke up a far-right group that planned attacks. 5 teens have been arrested
BERLIN: German police on Wednesday arrested five teenagers accused of involvement with a right-wing extremist group calling itself 'Last Defense Wave' that allegedly aimed to destabilize the country's democratic system by carrying out attacks on migrants and political opponents. 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 percent 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 percent.
