BERLIN (AP) — An 18-year-old right-wing extremist was arrested in central Germany on suspicion that he was planning a “serious act of violence endangering the state,” security officials said Monday.
The man, whose identity was nor given in line with German privacy rules, is accused of having an “established violent, antisemitic and right-wing extremist attitude,” investigators said.
He was arrested last week by special forces in the state of Hesse.
“The 18-year-old had repeatedly threatened in relevant forums to kill people in pursuit of his political goals,” Hesse criminal police and local prosecutors said in a statement. He is also suspected of having violated the Weapons Act.
The suspect’s home was searched last week, too, and computers and cell phones as well as weapons and ammunition were seized.
“Initial evaluations of the search confirmed the suspicion,” security officials said. “Further evaluation and the weapons investigation are ongoing.”
The authorities did not give any details on the nature of the attack the man allegedly planned to carry out.
Germany’s top security official, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, has repeatedly warned that far-right extremism presents the biggest threat to the country’s society.
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