German neo-Nazi jailed for plotting racist attacks

BERLIN: A 21-year-old German man was found guilty on Monday of attempting to form a neo-Nazi terrorist group inspired by the US-based Atomwaffen Division and planning attacks with guns and explosives.

The young man, named as Marvin E., was sentenced to three years and ten months in jail, the higher regional court in Frankfurt said in a statement.

Marvin E. had taken steps to found a branch of Atomwaffen Division, known for its racist and anti-Semitic ideology, in the German state of Hesse, the court said.

“He had completely adopted their ideology and had decided… to found an independent group with the name ‘Atomwaffen Division Hesse’, based on their ideological model,” it said. The purpose of the group would have been to carry out attacks on politicians, Jews and migrants, according to the court.

Marvin E. had taken steps to acquire firearms, was storing five explosive devices containing steel balls, and had ordered materials on the internet to construct further explosive devices.

He had also researched potential targets in the run-up to his arrest in September 2021.

Founded in 2015, Atomwaffen Division is a violent extremist group with cells in multiple US states.

Its members have been accused of plotting attacks against Jews, Muslims and other purported enemies with an aim of destabilising Western democratic countries.

In the United States, several members of Atomwaffen Division have been jailed for threatening journalists and activists campaigning against anti-Semitism and racism.