German police raid properties linked to banned neo-Nazi group

Police and state security agents searched properties in five German states Thursday, targeting followers and sympathizers of the banned neo-Nazi sect "Artgemeinschaft," according to media reports.

The group views itself as the guardian of a Nordic-Germanic race it considers superior to others. Its ideology has been classified as far-right extremist, and the organization was banned in 2023. However, the sect appears to have remained active, according to daily BILD.

A total of 14 locations in five German states — Berlin, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt — were targeted in the raids early Thursday. No arrests were made, but authorities seized evidence.

Investigators from the State Criminal Police Office have been looking into suspicions that the far-right group may still be active.

A spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office told the German Press Agency (dpa) that the investigation involves a total of 15 defendants.

The ban on "Artgemeinschaft" was upheld by the Federal Administrative Court in April this year.

Since the 1950s, the group has espoused racist and antisemitic views, with members portraying themselves as guardians of a superior race. In April, the court found that the group shared fundamental similarities with Nazi ideology.