German prosecutors halt probe into KKK group

DW – Despite seizing dozens of weapons in 2019 raids, German prosecutors were unable to definitively prove the group related to the Ku Klux Klan intended to commit crimes.After spending years investigating a far-right group that sought to establish a German branch of the extremist Ku Klux Klan (KKK), German prosecutors said on Thursday the probe has been dropped. The case first came to light in January 2019 following raids against members of the group, which called itself the “National Socialist Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Deutschland” — a name indicating the group also had neo-Nazi roots.

Why was the case closed?

Public prosecutors in Stuttgart opened an investigation into 57 alleged members of the German KKK group in 2019, suspecting them of founding a criminal organization. After three years of investigations, however, authorities weren’t able to establish that the group intended to commit crimes “with a degree of certainty necessary for an indictment,” a spokesperson told the dpa news agency. During police raids across Germany, authorities seized over 100 weapons — including knives, machetes, swords and air guns. Cell phones and data storage devices were also seized.

The suspected members, who at the time ranged in age from 17 to 59 years old, were suspected of glorifying Nazis. In some cases, chats between members showed some harbored “violent fantasies.” Investigators were unable to definitively prove, however, that the group sought to take action on their extremist beliefs by committing acts of violence or other crimes, the spokesperson told dpa.

What happens next?

While the main case has been dropped, investigations are still continuing into 23 members of the group. Several are still suspected of violating Germany’s weapons and drug laws. Others are facing accusations of incitement and the illegal use of symbols from anti-constitutional and terrorist groups — likely a reference to their use of the banned swastika Nazi symbol.

What is the KKK?

The KKK has its roots in the United States and is known for a white-supremacist, racist ideology and violent crime, particularly targeting Black and Jewish people. The group is well known as a hate group in the United States, but has not caught on as a mass movement in Germany. Research from recent years, however, shows that there are activities by similar groups in Germany, and the KKK’s symbols are also used by other far-right and white-supremacist groups in Germany.