Ten apartments were searched and nine suspects arrested in raids targeting supporters of the far-right Third Way party in eastern Germany, police and prosecutors in Berlin said on Thursday.
The suspects, aged between 17 and 21, are said to belong to the so-called National Revolutionary Youth (NRJ), the youth wing of the Third Way.
The raids took place in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony. About 130 officers were involved.
The raids are related to a July 6 attack on multiple people at the Ostkreuz commuter train station in Berlin. When two federal police officers intervened, they were also attacked, authorities said.
Several people were injured and had to be treated after the attack in Ostkreuz. The initially unidentified suspects were later identified, authorities said in a statement.
In addition, the suspects are accused of being involved in a robbery in January, in which a 20-year-old man was allegedly attacked and robbed for political reasons.
Mobile devices, digital storage media, clothing, a vehicle and dangerous items such as blanks, impact tools, gloves and electric stun guns were seized during the raids. Propaganda material was also found.
No formal arrest warrants may be requested, a spokesman for the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office said when asked. Instead, the nine suspects would be released after the police measures were completed.
The investigation is being led by the State Security Police, which is responsible for political crimes.
The police union is concerned about young people being exposed to and influenced by far-right ideas through social media and internet platforms.
Stephan Weh, regional head of the police union, stressed the need for greater accountability among platform operators.
According to the report on constitutional protection, members of groups such as the Third Way and NRJ were involved in “verbal and physical confrontations with political opponents” in 2023.
These groups are said to have prepared themselves by training in martial arts and networking with other far-right extremists. They also organized patrols in Berlin parks and approached young people near schools.
The political party Third Way was founded in 2013 and is known for its nationalist, anti-immigration and anti-Semitic ideologies. It is often described as neo-Nazi.
