A joint action day, supported by Eurojust, has led to the simultaneous searches of 12 suspects across 4 countries. Four suspects are under investigation for membership in a criminal organisation with the intention of incitement of masses relating to the production and dissemination of right-wing-extremist music products. Eight suspects are under investigation for the incitement of masses.
Authorities from Germany suspect that the individuals formed a long-term association around 2020 for the purposes of disseminating extremist, racist and dehumanising ideology. The extremist group ran an organised operation to produce, sell and disseminate audio recordings and music inciting hatred against segments of the population.
Reflecting the far reaches of the extremist organisation and their products, simultaneous searches and other investigative measures were conducted in several regions of Germany, including Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Thuringia, as well as internationally with the coordination of Eurojust in Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy and Poland.
Further searches also took place at the premises of ten individuals across Germany who are not being considered suspects at this moment. During the action day, Eurojust set up a coordination centre to enable the real-time exchange of information between the authorities and coordinate the simultaneous execution of judicial and investigative measures across the countries involved. The coordination centre allowed Eurojust to monitor developments as they unfolded, address urgent judicial cooperation needs and facilitate the swift execution of necessary judicial instruments.
The searches conducted aim at clarifying grounds for suspicion, with no arrests being currently made.
The following authorities were involved in the Joint Action Day
- Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Rostock,; State Police Agency Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Czech Republic: Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office, Prague; Police of the Czech Republic, Criminal Police and Investigation Service; Prague-East Territorial Department, General Crime Division.
- Estonia: Office of the Prosecutor General; Police and Border Guard Board
- Italy: Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Venice (PPO Venice); and Economic-Financial Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza, Padua
- Poland: Circuit Prosecutor’s Office Warsaw; The Investigation and Detection Department of the Warsaw Police Headquarters
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union