21-05-2025
Germany arrests five for alleged right-wing extremist plot and attacks
German police on Wednesday arrested five teenagers linked to a right-wing extremist group that allegedly intended to carry out attacks on migrants and political opponents.
The early morning arrests across several states in Germany followed raids on 13 properties associated with the self-styled "The Last Wave of Defence", 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 of a domestic terror organisation. The fifth, Jerome M, is accused of supporting the group.
Two of the individuals are also accused of attempted murder and aggravated arson. All five are between the ages of 14 and 18.
Prosecutors said they are also investigating three other people, between the ages of 18 and 21, who are already in custody. All of the suspects are German citizens.
The extremist group was formed in April 2024, according to prosecutors. They said its members saw themselves as the last resort to defend the "German nation" and aimed to destabilise Germany's democratic order, with attacks on homes for asylum seekers and on facilities associated with the left-wing political spectrum.
Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said it was "particularly shocking" that all of those arrested on 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.
Two of the suspects set a fire at a cultural centre in Altdöbern in eastern Germany in October, prosecutors said, adding that several people living in the building at the time only escaped injury 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, according to prosecutors.
Separately that month, three suspects had allegedly planned an arson attack on a home for asylum seekers in Senftenberg, but did not carry it out because of the earlier arrests of two of the men.
In a different case last week, authorities banned a far-right group called "Kingdom of Germany" as a threat to the country's democracy and arrested four of its alleged leaders.
An annual report released this week by the Federal Criminal Police Office showed that the number of violent crimes with a right-wing motivation rose 17.2% last year to 1,488.
That was part of an overall increase in violent, politically motivated offences to 4,107, a year-on-year increase of 15.3%.
US President Donald Trump has unveiled a scheme to build a $175 billion (€154bn) missile defence system called the 'Golden Dome', claiming it could be 'fully operational' by the end of his presidential term.
The announcement on Tuesday came roughly four months after Trump signed an executive order, instructing the Pentagon to draw up plans to defend the US against 'catastrophic' aerial attacks.
Although the exact scope of the Golden Dome project remains unclear, Trump said the system would involve 'next-generation' technologies, including space-based sensors and interceptors.
'Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world, and even if they are launched from space,' Trump claimed.
The idea is inspired by Israel's 'Iron Dome' system set up in 2011, which defends the country against missile and rocket attacks.
Questions have already been raised about the potential cost of the US missile defence shield and about the practicalities of defending a country that is more than 400 times larger than Israel.
Some experts have said it will cost significantly more than $175 billion (€154bn) and will take longer than four years to implement.
Just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost $542 billion (€479bn) over the next two decades, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
As part of a proposed tax break bill that is currently making its way through Congress, Trump has requested an initial $25 billion (€22bn) for the programme.
Flanked by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office on Tuesday, the US president praised the initiative, which has been one of his priorities since returning to the White House.
Trump said that General Michael Guetlein, the country's vice chief of space operations, will be tasked with overseeing Golden Dome's progress.
Canada has expressed interest in being involved in the project, Trump added.
In a joint statement earlier this month, China and Russia branded the Golden Dome proposal 'deeply destabilising in nature', suggesting it would turn 'outer space into an environment for placing weapons and an arena for armed confrontation'.
