display

There were 76 fully or semi-automatic weapons, including Uzis and AK47s, more than a dozen pistols, 100,000 rounds of ammunition, explosives and hand grenades: Austrian investigators found all of this during their searches last week.

According to the Austrian State Police President, it was one of the "greatest finds of the last few decades".

His agency arrested five suspects.

The group is said to have financed the arsenal by selling drugs.

Two Germans are said to have been involved in the procurement of the drugs.

They were also arrested last Wednesday and have been in custody ever since.

Investigations since October

The main suspect, a 53-year-old Austrian with a criminal record and a well-known right-wing extremist, is said to have testified in his interrogations that the weapons were intended for German neo-Nazis.

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) immediately promised a comprehensive review.

So is there something bigger behind the weapon find?

At least the German Federal Criminal Police Office has been informed of the Austrian investigations since October.

display

The spectacular weapon find is therefore also of concern to the German authorities - but so far only because of a possible violation of the Narcotics Act.

There is currently no evidence that the two arrested Germans were involved in the alleged arms deals or that they belong to the right-wing extremist scene, said a spokeswoman for the Duisburg public prosecutor's office.

They wanted to sell the drugs in Austria.

The spokeswoman did not want to comment on whether directly to the Austrian main suspect.

One thing is certain: the main suspect was convicted by the Passau District Court in spring 2018 for illegal possession of drugs and shotgun shells.

In the same year the man was also convicted in Austria.

He is said to have worn Nazi symbols and sent messages with right-wing extremist content.

display

The man is said to have maintained close contacts with German right-wing extremists in Berlin and Brandenburg as early as the 1990s.

He is said to have received several kilograms of explosives from a German.

The spokeswoman for the Duisburg public prosecutor's office did not want to answer the extent to which there are still contacts with Germany today.

Connections to Germany

According to the Left Party's interior expert Martina Renner, the connections between the Austrian and German neo-Nazis have been known for decades.

"In addition to the origin of the weapons, it is now urgent to clarify for which networks and for which purposes they were intended," said Renner WELT.

The deputy leader of the Greens in the Bundestag, Konstantin von Notz, announced that he wanted to discuss the raid and its references to Germany on Wednesday in the Interior Committee and in the Parliamentary Control Committee (PKGr).

display

He said to WELT: "The repeated finds of war weapons and explosives in the last few months, especially in the last few days, are massively worrying." The question arises as to what must happen "until the security authorities, but also the judiciary, make the obvious Clearly identify the problem of right-wing terrorism and act accordingly ”.

He expects a comprehensive briefing on Wednesday.