According to the Interior Ministry on Friday, weapons, ammunition, data carriers and numerous Nazi memorabilia were confiscated for offenses under the Prohibition and Weapons Act.
According to a release, seven men and one woman were house searched and questioned on Thursday. The operation was “a targeted strike against hate crime on the Internet and against criminals motivated by right-wing extremism,” it was emphasized in a broadcast. At the same time, action was taken against hate crime offenses in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
According to the Interior Ministry, the accused are accused of having re-activated within the meaning of the Prohibition Act and of having committed offenses under the Weapons Act. The seizures during the house searches were “connected to the alleged crimes”. The corresponding items would now be evaluated.
“The blow against the right-wing extremist scene shows that the State Security and Intelligence Directorate is well positioned,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). The DSN is “blind in every eye” and fights every form of extremism. With the reorganization in the federal states, state security will have even more power in the future. “Crimes committed by extremists, whether on the Internet or on the streets, are consistently prosecuted,” said Karner.
“Taking decisive action against all types of hate crime and right-wing extremism is the central mission of the DSN and the respective state offices. Any attempt at right-wing extremism must be resolutely countered,” explained Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, director of the DSN. The Europe-wide operation sent a clear signal against hatred and extremism.
Across Europe, 209 targets were intervened on Thursday in order to combat hate crime both online and in real life. The target persons “all had extremist ideologies,” the ministry said.
