Two Arrested in Thuringia for Supporting Letzte Verteidigungswelle After Failed Schmölln Arson Attempt
Two suspects arrested in Thuringia for allegedly aiding the right‑wing group Letzte Verteidigungswelle after a failed arson attempt at a Schmölln asylum shelter.
Federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe say two German youths have been taken into custody on suspicion of supporting the extremist group Letzte Verteidigungswelle, following a foiled attack on an asylum accommodation. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (Bundesanwaltschaft) announced charges that include attempted murder, attempted arson with potential deadly consequences, and aggravated arson in joint perpetration. Both suspects are now being held in pretrial detention while investigators continue to piece together their role in the group’s activities.
Federal Prosecutors Announce Arrests in Thuringia
Federal prosecutors said the arrests were carried out in Thuringia and involved coordination between federal and state law enforcement agencies, reflecting the case’s national security dimension. Authorities identified the detainees as German nationals who are suspected of acting as supporters of the Letzte Verteidigungswelle terror cell. The arrests were prompted by an investigation into an attempted attack on an occupied asylum facility and followed months of monitoring and prior enforcement actions against the group.
Alleged Schmölln Arson Attempt in January 2025
According to the federal prosecutor’s office, the incident at issue occurred in early January 2025 in Schmölln in the Altenburger Land district, when a group of perpetrators reportedly tried to set fire to an inhabited asylum shelter at dawn. Investigators say members of the group smashed a window and attempted to fire ignited pyrotechnics from a fireworks battery into the building’s interior in an effort to start a blaze. No fire ultimately took hold and no residents were injured, but prosecutors emphasize the operation carried a high potential for mass casualties given the time and location of the attack.
Charges Include Attempted Murder and Aggravated Arson
The Bundesanwaltschaft has framed the case in serious criminal terms, bringing counts that include attempted murder alongside various forms of arson-related offences, underscoring the life-threatening nature of the alleged plot. Prosecutors describe the suspects as having acted in concert with others to carry out actions that could have led to fatalities, which is reflected in the more severe arson charges. The office also indicates the suspects are believed to have supported the group’s broader terror objectives rather than acting in isolation.
BKA and State Police Executed Arrests, Court Warrants Carried Out
The detentions were effected after investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA) worked with Thuringian police units to locate and apprehend the suspects, officials said. An investigative judge at the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) issued and executed arrest warrants in the case, a step that typically follows a judicial assessment of the evidence and flight risk. Federal authorities have placed both suspects in remand custody while evidence is consolidated and the prosecutorial inquiry advances.
Earlier Detentions and Ongoing Trial in Hamburg
The recent arrests come against a backdrop of earlier enforcement measures targeting the same network: in May 2025, federal prosecutors detained five alleged supporters who at that time ranged in age from mid-teens to early adulthood, and three additional suspects were already in custody. Those eight individuals are now the subject of proceedings before the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) in Hamburg. Federal investigators also executed a separate nationwide operation in March 2025 that renewed scrutiny of the Letzte Verteidigungswelle’s membership and activities.
Court Records Describe Group’s Racist, Violent Objectives
Court documents cited by the prosecutor’s office portray Letzte Verteidigungswelle as an organization that sought to act as a final bulwark for an explicitly racist vision of the German nation, advocating violence against migrants and political opponents. Prosecutors say the cell promoted arson and explosive attacks against asylum accommodations and left‑leaning institutions in an effort to destabilize democratic governance and spark violent retaliation, language that a Federal Court of Justice decision in July 2025 characterized as an attempt to trigger a racial conflict to erase liberal democracy. Social media activity attributed to members allegedly included racist and antisemitic content and praise for National Socialism.
Decades of German law and postwar legal tradition make clear that organizing or supporting violent extremist projects carries heavy criminal penalties, and the current detentions reflect a sustained effort by federal authorities to prevent attacks and dismantle cells before they can execute lethal plans. The investigation remains active and prosecutors indicated that additional charges or arrests could follow as forensic analysis, witness interviews and digital evidence are examined. Both suspects will remain in custody as the case proceeds through the federal criminal justice system, where judges will assess the evidence and the public prosecutor will decide on formal indictment.
