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Wien / Munich (dpa) – During the searches, investigators secured a huge arsenal of weapons for right-wing extremists. Several suspects were arrested in Bavaria and Austria.
Investigators had struck a “massive coup” against the scene on the right, Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) said on Saturday at a press conference with representatives of the security authorities. With guns, “possibly a radical right-wing militia” should be built in Germany.
Consequently, investigators arrested five people in Austria and two people in Bavaria. More research should also be carried out in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office confirmed an arrest in eastern Bavaria last Wednesday. A second suspect was arrested in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) was briefed on the investigation and was “deeply shocked” in an interview with Nehammer, he said from Austria. “The authorities are in close contact,” an Interior Ministry spokeswoman confirmed on Saturday. “We take the situation very seriously. The crime and the crime history must now be fully clarified. “
According to the Austrian authorities, more than 70 automatic and semi-automatic firearms, hand grenades, Wehrmacht items such as sabers and helmets, and ammunition on the order of six figures were seized. According to the chairman of the Austrian state police, Gerhard Pürstl, the weapons are one of the “greatest finds of recent decades”.
During a home search Wednesday, investigators said they had submachine guns, assault rifles and ammunition. During another search on Thursday, a container with weapons, ammunition and explosives was found. In a warehouse in Lower Austria, investigators discovered around 100,000 rounds of ammunition and numerous long guns on Friday.
“Everything we have ensured would not fit here,” Pürstl said during the press conference. These are “heavy equipment that can cause great damage,” continued Pürstl.
A drug delivery from Germany in October led police into the network, Austrian investigators said. The weapons found were later bought with the proceeds of the drug trade. The main suspect is a 53-year-old convicted Austrian who is said to have started the trade with several accomplices.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201212-99-668882 / 2
