German neo-Nazi on trial for ‘plans to start race-based civil war’

The trial has begun of a German man accused of attempting to form a neo-Nazi terror group and planning a “race war” using guns and explosives.

Prosecutors say the 20-year-old, named as Marvin E for legal reasons, was inspired by the Atomwaffen Division, the extremist group founded a decade ago in the United States.

He is alleged to have researched potential targets on the internet, planned a poster campaign to recruit members and even built bombs with components bought online.

On the first day of his trial on Tuesday in Frankfurt he sat upright and smiled slightly as the charges were read out.

Marvin E is alleged to have decided last summer to spark a civil war in Germany within three years.

When he was arrested in September 2021, investigators discovered explosive materials and eleven electronic detonators that were ready for use.

Prosecutors said he was also planning a recruitment campaign to fight for an all-white society, according to the German news agency dpa.

Atomwaffen/National Socialist Order is proscribed as a terrorist organisation and banned in several countries, including Germany and the UK.

The members of the group – which is also known as AWD – aim for a race-based civil war targeting Jews, Muslims and “people who do not conform to the world view of AWD”, dpa said.