Marvin E.: The trial against alleged right-wing extremists is ongoing

The trial of a suspected right-wing extremist began in Frankfurt am Main on Tuesday. The 20-year-old Marvin E. is said to have tried, among other things, to set up a terrorist cell in Hesse. According to chief public prosecutor Michael Neuhaus, the accused took the right-wing extremist group Atomwaffe Division as a role model. “The aim was to carry out attacks that were racist and xenophobic in nature and were also supposed to have deadly consequences, which he planned from the outset. However, he did not succeed in recruiting additional members. However, from mid-2021 he set at least 15 larger explosive devices which he partially covered with steel balls in order to carry out attacks.” The accused is said to have committed the offenses as an adolescent. According to court spokeswoman Gundula Fehns-Böer, whether Marvin E. falls under juvenile criminal law will only be decided towards the end of the trial, when it has been clarified whether the alleged crimes can be proven. “The benchmark for this is whether the accused was the same as a juvenile or just had the maturity of an adult. The range of punishment does not really differ, provided that juvenile criminal law would also result in a prison sentence. Both times the maximum range of punishment is ten years.” Marvin E. was arrested in September 2021. Since then he has been in custody.