German police seize weapons in raid on far-right group

Police said on Wednesday they have searched 14 premises across Germany that are allegedly linked to far-right extremist groups. 

The premises searched are allegedly linked to 15 suspects believed to be members of a far-right extremist group that calls itself "Berserker Clan," police said.

Police raided buildings in Berlin, the northern Schleswig-Holstein state, the southwestern Baden-Württemberg state and the central state of Hesse.

Security forces seized firearms, ammunition and other weapons, as well as drugs and doping substances, according to the police. 

'An armed uprsising'

Police and the public prosecutor's office accuse the 15 suspects of forming, or being members of, a criminal organization. 

The far-right extremist group members had been communicating about the preparation for a so-called "Day X," authorities said. According to investigators, this meant "an armed uprising" against German institutions. 

Over the past year, Germany has seen a rise in extremist groups. A report by the German intelligence agency BfV showed that this year 40% of the 33,300 far-right extremists in the country were categorized as "violence-oriented," the highest proportion ever. 

There had been a 10% rise in the number of far-right violent crimes over the past year to 1,023, of which 842 were cases of physical assault, according to the BfV. 

There was also a significant rise in the number of violent far-left crimes, the BfV said.

fb/jsi (AFP, AP, dpa, EPD)