Ten flats have been searched and nine suspects detained in raids targeting supporters of the far-right extremist Third Way party in eastern Germany, police and the Berlin public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
The suspects, aged between 17 and 21, are said to belong to the so-called National Revolutionary Youth (NRJ), the youth arm of the Third Way.
The raids took place in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony. Some 130 officers were involved.
The raids are related to an attack on several people on July 6 at the Ostkreuz commuter train station in Berlin. When two federal police officers intervened, they were also attacked, according to the authorities.
Several people were injured and had to be treated after the Ostkreuz attack. The initially unidentified suspects were later identified, the authorities said in a statement.
In addition, the suspects are accused of involvement in a robbery in January. In this case, a 20-year-old man is said to have been attacked and robbed for political reasons.
Mobile devices, digital storage media, clothing, a vehicle and dangerous items such as blank guns, impact tools, gloves and electric stun guns were seized during the raids. Propaganda material was also found.
Formal arrest warrants are not to be requested, a spokesman for the Berlin public prosecutor’s office said when asked. Rather, the nine suspects would be released after the police measures were completed.
The investigations are being led by the police state security, which is responsible for political crimes.
The police union has raised concerns about young people being exposed to and influenced by right-wing extremist ideas through social media and internet platforms.
Stephan Weh, the regional head of the police union, emphasized the need for greater accountability among platform operators.
According to the constitutional protection report, members of groups like the Third Way and NRJ were involved in “verbal and physical confrontations with political opponents” in 2023.
These groups reportedly prepared by training in martial arts and networking with other right-wing extremists. They also organized patrols in Berlin parks and approached young people near schools.
Founded in 2013, the Third Way political party is known for its nationalist, anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic ideologies and is widely described as neo-Nazi.
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