At the latest at the entrance check at the Jena Higher Regional Court on Monday, it becomes clear that the state security trial against four alleged members of the right-wing extremist martial arts group “Knockout 51” is not a normal procedure for a series of physical injuries. When entering the courthouse, visitors and reporters are meticulously checked and have to pass a metal detector. In the courtroom, a double row of police officers shields those involved in the trial from the onlookers.
The main defendant, Leon R., the ringleader and head of “Knockout51” according to the conviction of the federal prosecutor, is the last of the four defendants to be led into the room in handcuffs. All have been in custody since April 2022 and are between 21 and 25 years old. When Chief Public Prosecutor Michael Neuhaus from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office read out the indictment, there was no emotion on their faces, and supporters from the right-wing extremist scene also remained silent. They appeared in large numbers at the start of the process, and Leon R.’s family is also in the hall.
Hard physical training, twice a week
For about an hour, the prosecution painted the picture of a criminal organization that used physical fitness to push through right-wing extremist interests in a targeted manner and to create a Nazi neighborhood in Eisenach as a self-proclaimed law enforcement agency. From the beginning it was about physical violence, at the latest from April 2021 the killing of left-wing extremists was also a goal of the association. Leon R. led a tight regiment, took over the ideological training, networked with other neo-Nazis nationwide and defined the rules.
Anyone who wanted to take part in “Knockout 51” had to be prepared to fight for the right-wing extremist cause. In addition to hard physical training twice a week, this included a minimum body weight of 80 kilos. In the bench press, the men should have managed 80 to 90 kilos, according to senior public prosecutor Neuhaus. Candidates had to prove themselves for half a year before they were accepted. Only then could they have worn the clothes from “Knockout 51” or had the appropriate tattoos done. R. had meanwhile excluded one of the co-defendants when his discipline waned.
The court did not accept the accusation of forming a terrorist organization
According to the indictment, R. managed the club treasury himself, he demanded a monthly fee of 20 euros for training. The fighters were systematically accustomed to pain during the training sessions at the NPD party headquarters in the “Flieder Volkshaus” in Eisenach. In addition to multiple dangerous bodily harm and resistance to law enforcement officials, the federal prosecutor’s office alleges that Leon R. and his co-defendant Bastian A. also violated the Weapons Act. R. tried to produce essential parts of a submachine gun using a 3D printer.
If federal prosecutors have their way, the accused would have to answer for forming a terrorist organization. However, the court only allowed the less serious accusation of forming a criminal organization. Leon R.’s lawyers have announced a statement for next week.