German probe identifies 364 right-wing extremists among soldiers, police officers

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - German authorities have identified 364 far-right extremists among soldiers, police and intelligence officers, a new report revealed Monday.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the latest report by the country’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, provides a clear picture of the situation, and reveals networks and links to right-wing extremist organizations.

"Extremists have no place in security agencies. The reputation of the overwhelming majority of employees who defend our freedom and democracy must not suffer because of a few extremists,” she said in a statement, adding that such extremists will not be tolerated, and removed from public service.

The BfV examined nearly 739 suspected far-right cases among the employees of the German security services between July 2021 and January 2023, and concluded that 364 suspects were followers of far-right ideologies and majority of them had ties to extremist figures and groups.

These included groups such as the Reichsbürger (Reich Citizen) and Selbstverwalter (Sovereign Citizen) movements, which reject the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany and believe that the country is governed by members of a so-called “deep state.”

BfV chief Thomas Haldenwang said his agency has intensified the fight against right-wing extremism, and authorities are also taking rapid action against suspected extremist cases in the public service.

“Even if we are talking about a very small number of employees here, we devote our full attention to combating enemies of the constitution in our security services. The 'Reich Citizens' group around Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss has shown the specific dangers posed by extremists who are active, or were active, in the public service,” he said.

Dozens of far-right extremists, including German aristocrat Heinrich Reuss, were arrested two years ago for alleged plans to overthrow the government by a coup.

The suspects, including former police officers, soldiers and reserve personnel, were accused of planning sensational actions such as storming the German parliament and kidnapping politicians in order to cause civil war-like conditions in the country, and eventually overthrow the government.