Five federal states affected: Right-wing extremist terror cell allegedly planned attacks - five arrests

Arrests have been made in several German states in the course of investigations into a right-wing extremist terrorist cell. The cell is said to have planned several attacks. Several attempts to carry out the attacks have allegedly been made.

According to the Federal Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Justice, the judiciary has dismantled a suspected right-wing extremist terrorist cell. Five suspects were arrested in several raids. The group is said to have planned attacks against refugees and political dissidents and has attempted to carry out these plans on several occasions.

The arrests were made in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (in the Rostock district and Wismar), Brandenburg (in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district), and Hesse (Lahn-Dill district). At the same time, court-ordered searches have begun in a total of 13 properties there, as well as in Saxony (Leipzig district), and Thuringia (Altenburger Land district and Ilm district). These measures are ongoing.

According to the Federal Prosecutor General's Office, the terrorist cell calls itself "Last Defense Wave (LVW)." A team of reporters from "Stern" and RTL reported on the group at the end of April and uncovered plans for attacks in Altdöbern, Schmölln, and Senftenberg. The Federal Prosecutor General's Office is now also referring to this.

The aim of the accused was to bring about a collapse of the democratic system in the Federal Republic of Germany through acts of violence, primarily against migrants and political opponents, according to a statement. "Such acts include, in particular, arson and bomb attacks on asylum seekers' homes and institutions belonging to the political left, possibly with fatal consequences," according to the Federal Prosecutor General's Office.

For example, in October 2024, a fire was set in an occupied cultural center in Altdöbern using an accelerant. It was only by chance that no one was injured. The property damage amounted to half a million euros.

In addition, a window was allegedly smashed at an occupied asylum seekers' accommodation in Schmölln, and an attempt was made to fire pyrotechnics ignited from a firework battery into the building in order to set it on fire. However, no fire broke out. An arson attack on an occupied asylum seekers' accommodation in Senftenberg was also allegedly planned. Due to the arrest of two suspects, the attack was never carried out.