The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office arrested eight people on Tuesday under suspected membership of a neo-Nazi militant group known as “Sächsische Separatisten” or “Saxon Separatists,” the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in a press statement.
The arrests were made under section 129a of the Criminal Code, which prohibits the formation of terrorist organisations directed to the commission of human rights violations and other crimes. Jörg S. was the only suspect arrested in Poland and has been labelled by the Prosecutor’s Office as the “ringleader” under section 129a, paragraph 4. He will be imprisoned for at least three years if found guilty.
Four of the suspects are original members, while the others joined subsequent to its founding. All who were arrested had undertaken extensive paramilitary training and had supplies of military equipment including firearms, gas masks, and extensive combat uniform.
Saxon Separatists share an ideology, which the statement says, “is characterized by racist, anti-Semitic and partially apocalyptic ideas.” The group was first formed in 2020 and has 15 to 20 members. The office also stated that the group is willing to use armed force to actualize its ideology by taking over areas in Saxony to implement national socialism and rejecting “the liberal democratic basic order of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The arrests of the German nationals took place across Germany and Poland, reflecting the collective efforts of over 450 police officers and special forces. Searches remain ongoing at around 20 properties and seven further suspects, on the order of a judge.
Pending Jörg S.’s extradition from Poland, the suspects have since appeared before the Federal of Justice. It remains to be seen whether the suspects will be detained in the period leading up to their trial.
The arrests constitute a recent upswell in suspected connections with terrorist organizations, with statistics showing a rise in knife attacks and reports warning the threat of Islamist terrorism. Furthermore, the Solingen attack in August further raised concerns over the effectiveness of counterterrorism laws in the country.
