How dangerous is the "last wave of defense"?

What role does the age of the suspects play?

The suspects are teenagers and young adults. The five suspects who have now been arrested are - with the exception of one - all minors. The youngest of them - who is suspected of aiding and abetting - is only 14 years old. Due to their age, some of them have to appear before the investigating judge in Karlsruhe with their parents. The statement from the federal prosecutor's office states that those now arrested acted "as juveniles with a mature sense of responsibility". This means that they were mature enough at the time of the crime to recognize the wrongfulness of their actions. This is a prerequisite for them to be held criminally responsible.

What accusations are being made by the federal prosecutor's office?

The federal prosecutor's office classifies the "Letzte Verteidigungswelle" as a right-wing extremist terrorist organization. Of the five people arrested, four are said to have been members of this terrorist group, three of them even ringleaders. The fifth is accused of supporting the organization. Some of the suspects are also accused of attempted murder, particularly serious arson and damage to property, while others are accused of aiding and abetting these acts.

What penalties apply in the event of a conviction

The Juvenile Courts Act regulates how the justice system deals with crimes committed by young people who were at least 14 years old but not yet 18 at the time of the crime. Adolescents who are at least 18 years old but not yet 21 at the time of the offense are also partially covered by these regulations.

The punishments that the juvenile court can impose include so-called educational measures such as participation in social training courses or anti-aggression training, or so-called correctional measures such as the repair or replacement of a damaged object. However, a juvenile sentence of at least six months up to a maximum of ten years can also be imposed. For adolescents sentenced under juvenile criminal law, it can be up to 15 years.

Are there other new right-wing extremist youth groups?

Yes. The Berlin Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the group "Deutsche Jugend Voran" as right-wing extremist and violence-oriented. The group "Jung und Stark" is active nationwide and has mobilized against Christopher Street Day events, among other things. In Bavaria, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is keeping an eye on this relatively new group. "Der Störtrupp" is also one of the new right-wing groups that are very active on social media.

What is behind this phenomenon?

"We are seeing a trend of young people from the right-wing extremist scene who are willing to use violence, are violence-oriented and action-oriented, coming together," says Sinan Selen, Vice President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. This has been happening in the digital space for some time, "but we are also seeing a leap into the analog space". One example of this is attacks on Christopher Street Day events.

Young extremists with a tendency towards violence were also the subject of this week's presentation of the annual statistics on politically motivated crime. The police counted 1,488 right-wing motivated acts of violence last year - around 17 percent more than in the previous year. The President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, said: "Of course, we have to realize that we are seeing a shift to the right in ideology in society as a whole, as is now the case with some young people, and also an increase in the acceptance of violence." He added: "If violence is seen more as a means of exchanging opinions, then something is wrong in society."

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