exclusive
Investigations by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office into the Thuringian neo-Nazi martial arts group “Knockout 51” have NDR close links between terrorist suspects and the NPD. Charges were recently brought against the hard core of “Knockout 51”.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is investigating in the environment of the suspected right-wing terrorist group “Knockout 51” in Eisenach against ten suspects. Based on information from the research format CTRL_F (NDR/funk) the investigations with Patrick Wieschke also focus on the Thuringian state chairman of the right-wing extremist NPD. The party recently changed its name to “Die Heimat”.
Terrorist investigators recently filed charges against the hard core of the group. The investigators see Wieschke as a supporter of “Knockout 51”. The nine other suspects are said to have been members of the association. A spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor’s office confirmed on request ongoing investigations into other suspects, but without giving any details.
charges filed in May
In May, the federal prosecutor’s office brought charges against the alleged ringleader Leon R. and three other members of the right-wing extremist martial arts group. According to the indictment, “Knockout 51” has represented a criminal organization since its inception in 2019. From April 2021, the group is said to have turned into a terrorist organization.
The reason: From this point on, the members are said to have considered politically motivated homicides. For this reason, “Knockout 51” provoked attacks from their political opponents. The federal prosecutor’s office is convinced that the neo-Nazis wanted to use deadly force against the left and make it look like self-defence. The 51 in the group’s name stands for the fifth and first letter of the alphabet: “EA” – Eisenach’s license plate number.
The alleged right-wing terrorists were apparently closely linked to the NPD. The “Flieder Volkshaus” in Eisenach, the NPD state headquarters in Thuringia, served as a training location for the martial artists. The alleged “Knockout 51” boss Leon R. is said to have carried out ideological training there together with Wieschke, the investigations revealed.
Members of “Knockout 51” are also said to have taken over security services at events in the “Flieder Volkshaus”. Leon R. sits down CTRL_F-Research on the board of the sponsoring association of the “Flieder Volkshaus”, other “Knockout 51” activists are members.
Integration into NPD youth?
In addition, at the end of 2021 there were talks between R. and the NPD youth organization about a possible integration of martial artists into the party youth, as can be seen from intercepted communications. Shortly after the talks with the NPD youth, “Knockout 51” actually publicly announced its self-dissolution. Apparently – the investigators are sure of that.
Leon R. is also said to have carried out “construction work” in the NPD headquarters “Flieder Volkshaus” in Eisenach. According to investigative documents, these should serve to cut off escape routes for possible attackers from the left-wing scene CTRL_F could see. So the NPD headquarters should become a “trap” for the attackers.
A wiretapped conversation shows that members of “Knockout 51” also shared their fantasies of violence and murder. After the “revolution,” the neo-Nazis sneered on the day of the 2021 federal election, leftists would be hung from street lamps.
readiness for violence “very high”
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution currently classifies the willingness to use violence within the neo-Nazi scene as “very high”. “Violent attacks by right-wing extremists on actual and alleged left-wing extremists are seen as a legitimate form of conflict in the violent right-wing extremist scene,” says a spokesman for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution CTRL_F. Democratic politicians and civil society actors also count the neo-Nazis among the “left-wing extremists”.
The Thuringian Higher Regional Court in Jena has yet to decide whether to allow the charges against the four main suspects. They have been in custody since April last year. Her defense attorneys left inquiries about the process unanswered. Patrick Wieschke and the sponsoring association of the NPD headquarters also wanted to be asked by CTRL_F not comment on the allegations.