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| Germany Cracks Down on Far Right With Arrests and a Trial | Germany Cracks Down on Far Right With Arrests and a Trial |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| BERLIN — The German authorities moved against right-wing groups on two fronts on Tuesday, with an early-morning raid that led to the arrest of five people suspected of attacks on refugee shelters and the opening of a trial of the leader of an anti-immigrant group. | BERLIN — The German authorities moved against right-wing groups on two fronts on Tuesday, with an early-morning raid that led to the arrest of five people suspected of attacks on refugee shelters and the opening of a trial of the leader of an anti-immigrant group. |
| The raid in the eastern state of Saxony led to the detention of four men and one woman who are under investigation in connection with the attacks on refugee shelters in and around Dresden, where weekly demonstrations against immigrants have been held since late 2014. | The raid in the eastern state of Saxony led to the detention of four men and one woman who are under investigation in connection with the attacks on refugee shelters in and around Dresden, where weekly demonstrations against immigrants have been held since late 2014. |
| Two hundred police officers, including members of elite anti-terrorist units, conducted searches at several homes and unidentified properties in the state, federal prosecutors said. | Two hundred police officers, including members of elite anti-terrorist units, conducted searches at several homes and unidentified properties in the state, federal prosecutors said. |
| Later in the morning, Lutz Bachmann, a co-leader of the movement that organized the demonstrations, Pegida, went on trial in Dresden, the capital of Saxony. He faces charges of incitement for calling refugees “cattle,” “brutes” and “trash.” | |
| The influx of migrants in Germany has been accompanied by a rise in the popularity of the far right, notably in Saxony. | The influx of migrants in Germany has been accompanied by a rise in the popularity of the far right, notably in Saxony. |
| “With today’s operation, the security authorities have dealt a powerful blow to a regional right-wing terrorist group,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said in a statement. “This shows that the state is moving decisively and early against far-right terrorist structures and criminals.” | “With today’s operation, the security authorities have dealt a powerful blow to a regional right-wing terrorist group,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said in a statement. “This shows that the state is moving decisively and early against far-right terrorist structures and criminals.” |
| Residents of Freital, a town of about 40,000 that is also near Mr. Bachmann’s home, have been among those often seen carrying signs with the names of their villages or towns at Pegida demonstrations. Freital, just outside Dresden, was also the site of weeks of anti-migrant demonstrations and clashes between pro- and anti-refugee activists outside a shelter for the new arrivals last summer. | Residents of Freital, a town of about 40,000 that is also near Mr. Bachmann’s home, have been among those often seen carrying signs with the names of their villages or towns at Pegida demonstrations. Freital, just outside Dresden, was also the site of weeks of anti-migrant demonstrations and clashes between pro- and anti-refugee activists outside a shelter for the new arrivals last summer. |
| The five people detained on Tuesday were said by prosecutors to have formed an organization known as Group Freital last July, along with three other men detained earlier, at an unspecified date. | The five people detained on Tuesday were said by prosecutors to have formed an organization known as Group Freital last July, along with three other men detained earlier, at an unspecified date. |
| The announcement by the authorities that at least these eight people were involved was the first in which they had publicly linked a particular organization with some of the hundreds of attacks on refugee shelters over the past year. | The announcement by the authorities that at least these eight people were involved was the first in which they had publicly linked a particular organization with some of the hundreds of attacks on refugee shelters over the past year. |
| Of the people now in custody — seven men ages 18 to 39, and one 27-year-old woman — two were said to be the ringleaders of the group. The pair, identified only as Timo S., 27, and Patrick F., 27, in keeping with German privacy laws, are also suspected of attempted murder, the prosecutors said. | Of the people now in custody — seven men ages 18 to 39, and one 27-year-old woman — two were said to be the ringleaders of the group. The pair, identified only as Timo S., 27, and Patrick F., 27, in keeping with German privacy laws, are also suspected of attempted murder, the prosecutors said. |
| Four others are also suspected of other crimes, including attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm and causing explosions and damage. | Four others are also suspected of other crimes, including attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm and causing explosions and damage. |
| Prosecutors linked the group to the purchase of pyrotechnic explosives, which are banned in Germany, from the neighboring Czech Republic. The explosives were mounted on the windows of at least two refugee shelters in Freital in attacks in September and November. | Prosecutors linked the group to the purchase of pyrotechnic explosives, which are banned in Germany, from the neighboring Czech Republic. The explosives were mounted on the windows of at least two refugee shelters in Freital in attacks in September and November. |
| In the second attack, one refugee suffered facial wounds from glass splinters. In both cases, fatal injuries were avoided only because refugees either were not in the rooms or had fled in time, the prosecutors said. | In the second attack, one refugee suffered facial wounds from glass splinters. In both cases, fatal injuries were avoided only because refugees either were not in the rooms or had fled in time, the prosecutors said. |
| In a third case, Group Freital attacked an alternative housing project in Dresden, prosecutors said, causing damage but no reported injuries. | In a third case, Group Freital attacked an alternative housing project in Dresden, prosecutors said, causing damage but no reported injuries. |
| Mr. Bachmann, 43, has been previously convicted on charges including theft, drug dealing and failing to provide child support, and he could face up to five years in prison if found guilty. He arrived for the opening of his trial wearing sunglasses with a black bar attached to them to obscure his face, which is well known from his near-weekly appearances at Pegida rallies. Pegida is the German acronym for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West. | Mr. Bachmann, 43, has been previously convicted on charges including theft, drug dealing and failing to provide child support, and he could face up to five years in prison if found guilty. He arrived for the opening of his trial wearing sunglasses with a black bar attached to them to obscure his face, which is well known from his near-weekly appearances at Pegida rallies. Pegida is the German acronym for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West. |
| Mr. Bachmann made the comments over which he is facing trial in a post on Facebook in 2014, several weeks before he began calling on Germans unhappy with the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel to march through the streets of Dresden. | Mr. Bachmann made the comments over which he is facing trial in a post on Facebook in 2014, several weeks before he began calling on Germans unhappy with the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel to march through the streets of Dresden. |
| At first, hundreds heeded the call. Then the numbers swelled to 25,000 at the demonstrations’ height in January 2015, and spawned similar movements elsewhere in Germany and across Europe. | At first, hundreds heeded the call. Then the numbers swelled to 25,000 at the demonstrations’ height in January 2015, and spawned similar movements elsewhere in Germany and across Europe. |
| Mr. Bachmann was forced to step down as a leader of the movement after he posted a picture of himself dressed as Hitler on social media. He returned to his position several months later, after the uproar died down and amid a resurgence of fears about the huge migrant influx. | Mr. Bachmann was forced to step down as a leader of the movement after he posted a picture of himself dressed as Hitler on social media. He returned to his position several months later, after the uproar died down and amid a resurgence of fears about the huge migrant influx. |
| On Monday night, several hundred people marched through Dresden, and some of them turned up outside the courtroom on Tuesday, The Sächsische Zeitung reported. | On Monday night, several hundred people marched through Dresden, and some of them turned up outside the courtroom on Tuesday, The Sächsische Zeitung reported. |
| Prosecutors charge that Mr. Bachmann’s remarks, in which he referred to asylum seekers as inhuman and called them “cattle,” attacked the human dignity of refugees, incited hate against a minority group and posed a threat to public peace. | Prosecutors charge that Mr. Bachmann’s remarks, in which he referred to asylum seekers as inhuman and called them “cattle,” attacked the human dignity of refugees, incited hate against a minority group and posed a threat to public peace. |
| Several dozen of his supporters waved signs outside of the courtroom as his trial opened, calling for “resistance.” The police were also present, but declined to comment on their exact security measures. | Several dozen of his supporters waved signs outside of the courtroom as his trial opened, calling for “resistance.” The police were also present, but declined to comment on their exact security measures. |