Germany arrests eight over alleged neo-Nazi government takeover plot

German police on Tuesday arrested eight alleged members of a far-right militant organisation suspected of plotting a neo-Nazi takeover in eastern Germany.

More than 450 law enforcement officials raided properties across the state of Saxony as well as in Poland, where the extremist group’s alleged ringleader was arrested, according to a statement by Germany’s federal prosecutor.

The suspects, some of them underage, are accused of being part of Sächsische Separatisten, or Saxon Separatists, a group of 15 to 20 people characterised by “racist, antisemitic, and in some cases apocalyptic ideas,” the prosecutors said.

“Its members are united in a profound rejection of the liberal democratic order and believe that Germany is nearing ‘collapse,'” the statement said. Prosecutors said the group plotted to seize power in Saxony and potentially other eastern German states “to establish governmental and societal structures inspired by National Socialism.”

“Even ethnic cleansing was part of their inhuman plans,” Germany’s Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said.

Buschmann said in a statement that the arrests were a reminder that the German constitutional state and the free and democratic order “are under threat from many sides”.

The Saxonian Separatists were founded in 2020 and had been preparing to violently overthrow the government, according to the prosecutors. They said members of the group, including the arrested suspects, had conducted paramilitary training in combat gear and procured military hardware such as gas masks and bulletproof vests.

Berlin has warned for years of the growing threat posed by far-right extremists and repeatedly cracked down on such groups.

In 2022, members of the Reichsbürger, or “Reich Citizens”, movement planned to storm into the parliament building in Berlin and arrest lawmakers, according to prosecutors.

The alleged leaders of that extremist plot — which shocked the country — went on trial in May this year. It involves more than two dozen suspects and 260 witnesses and is expected to continue well into 2025.