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Status: 11/13/2020 5:13 pm
Interior Minister Lorenz Caffier admitted to buying a gun from a former Nordkreuz member in early 2018. At the time there was no suspicion.
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In an interview with the news magazine “Der Spiegel”, the Interior Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lorenz Caffier (CDU), commented for the first time on the allegations of private purchase of weapons. The question is whether Caffier bought a gun from the managing director of the company “Baltic Shooters”, which is associated with the far-right network Nordkreuz.
No suspicions at the time of purchase
Caffier told “Spiegel” exclusively that he had bought the pistol in 2018 from Frank T. He is the operator of a shooting range near Güstrow. Members of Nordkreuz and special police units had trained there for years. There was also a shooting workshop there in 2018: the co-organizer was the State Criminal Police Office, the Home Secretary Caffier was the sponsor of this event. When Caffier bought the gun, the minister said, no one suspected that Frank T. had contacts with right-wing extremists. He, Caffier, has been a hunter for 40 years and pistols are part of normal equipment.
“Taz” journalist asks about private arms purchase
On Thursday, at a press conference to present the report on the protection of the constitution, a journalist from the “taz” asked the interior minister if he had privately bought a gun from a former Nordkreuz member. His answer was: it was a private matter. The “taz” had reported that the firing range operator was a member of Nordkreuz and depended on the archives of the BKA. That’s why journalist Christina Schmidt asked Caffier if she got her private gun from Frank T.
Caffier replied that it was a private matter: “Of course, Nordkreuz is the subject of ongoing investigations. You can ask me about the second question, about private matters. Everything else remains private, no comment from the agency.”
Strong criticism from politicians and journalists
The “taz” posted Caffier’s statement on Twitter, the tweet went viral and there was massive criticism from journalists and politicians. Journalist and moderator Jan Böhmermann also responded, asking Caffier for comment. There were also calls for resignation. Left-wing MP Torsten Koplin told Nordmagazin that if Caffier does not comment, the prime minister will have to interfere and, if necessary, remove him from office. Despite repeated questions, Lorenz Caffier declined to comment on the matter to the NDR.
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