German police uncover plot to kill politicians

World
Europe

German police raided the workplaces and homes of two suspects, including a police officer, suspected of plotting to kill left-wing politicians because of their views on immigration.

The suspects had begun to stockpile food and ammunition and plan attacks, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement on Monday.

None of the suspects, who think Germany's refugee policies will lead the country to poverty, were arrested.

Police and federal criminal investigators carried out the searches in in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

A member of Neo-Nazi cell NSU, Beate Zschaepe, waits for the continuation of her trial at a courtroom in Munich, southern Germany, on August 1, 2017. /AFP Photo

Police also searched properties of people linked to the suspects, the prosecutor's office added.

The suspects had been in contact with other people in online chat rooms.

Authorities said one of the suspects is a city police officer from Ludwigslust, 40km south of the state capital Schwerin.

Disciplinary measures against the suspected police officer were taken in connection with the case, the state Interior Ministry said.

The identities of the suspects have not been revealed.

Chronic problem

Anti-immigrant sentiments are not new in Germany. Conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis and gun enthusiasts, known as "Reichsbuerger", or "Citizens of the Reich" are still a threat to the modern democratic state.

One of those, identified only as Wolfgang P., shot a policeman dead during a raid in 2016. He goes on trial on Tuesday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has received criticism over her migration policy. /AFP Photo

In the early 2000s, a Neo-Nazi cell, known as the Nationalist Socialist Underground (NSU), killed ten people in the country.

The string of racial killings between 2000 and 2007 shocked the nation. The gang planned and carried out attacks on foreigners living in Germany.

Europe's biggest economy witnessed one of the most significant influxes of migrants and refugees in its history in 2015.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has often been criticized over her open door asylum policy that has been enormously unpopular among some voters.

She reiterated her stance on leaving the country’s borders open to thousands of migrants in 2015, saying in an interview published on Sunday that she has no regrets.

Germany has taken in well over a million migrants since 2015.

(With input from agencies)