Police raid suspected neo-Nazis in 8 German cities

Police launched raids in several west German cities early Wednesday morning targeting suspected right-wing extremists.

According to security sources, there are 10 suspects, all of them German citizens. One of the suspects had previously been in pretrial detention in connection with another case, private broadcaster n-tv reported.

According to reports, the operations in eight cities across the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia were directed against the group called Jung und Stark (“Young and Strong”).

German’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, was also involved in the investigation.

Rising acts of violence by young neo-Nazis

Since 2024, acts of violence by neo-Nazis—some of them very young—have been on the rise.

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said in mid-2025: “Since around the middle of last year, federal and state police authorities have observed that new youth groups have emerged in the far-right scene, which initially formed in the virtual space.”

These groups are now increasingly making their presence felt through events, disruptive actions, and criminal offenses, it added.

According to security circles, the largest of these right-wing extremist groups at the time was Jung und Stark, with a membership in the mid-triple-digit range. The group Deutsche Jugend Voran (“German Youth Forward”) is also under investigation. An estimated more than 100 people reportedly identify with this group. Other relevant associations include Der Störtrupp and the group Letzte Verteidigungswelle.

Suspected members of Letzte Verteidigungswelle are currently on trial in Hamburg for several acts of violence.

Police in Germany recorded more right-wing motivated violent crimes last year than at any time since 2016.

A total of 1,598 such incidents were registered at the Federal Criminal Police Office for 2025 as of the end of this January, German Press Agency DPA said last week, citing a government response to a parliamentary inquiry from the opposition The Left party.

In most cases, investigations were conducted for assault or aggravated assault.

According to the data, Germany saw 1,488 right-wing motivated violent crimes in 2024, while 1,270 violent crimes with a right-wing background were seen in 2023.