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Germany targets weapon possession among suspected extremists
German authorities are increasingly targeting weapon possession among political extremists. In North Rhine-Westphalia, an elderly couple belonging to the AfD is fighting a court battle after authorities attempted to disarm them. The couple possesses hundreds of firearms, but officials deemed them ‘unreliable’ due to their membership in a party classified by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a suspected case of right-wing extremism.
This legal struggle reflects a broader state effort to curb violence by disarming radical groups. Recent police raids against groups such as the ‘Prinz Reuß’ circle and the ‘Saxon Separatists’ have resulted in the seizure of hundreds of weapons, ammunition, and crossbows. These investigations are often linked to suspected plans for political upheaval or militant neo-Nazi activities.
Entities
AfD · Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz · Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution · Germany · North Rhine-Westphalia
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Authorities denied the couple's applications for additional weapon possession cards. www.braunschweiger-zeitung.de · www.waz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The man's wife possesses 27 weapons. www.braunschweiger-zeitung.de · www.waz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The couple is appealing the decision to disarm them. www.braunschweiger-zeitung.de · www.waz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] A court has deemed the couple 'unreliable' due to their political affiliations. www.braunschweiger-zeitung.de · www.waz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] A man in North Rhine-Westphalia possesses 197 firearms and weapon parts. www.braunschweiger-zeitung.de · www.waz.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The AfD is classified as a suspected case of right-wing extremism by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. www.braunschweiger-zeitung.de · www.waz.de