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200 right-wing extremists in the German military

October 23, 2017

A German lawmaker has criticized discrepancies in the reporting of right-wing sympathizers among the military's ranks. The identified extremists could use their military training to advance their cause, she warned.

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German soldiers hold G-36 assault rifles
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Charisius

Germany's Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) has classified about 200 Bundeswehr soldiers as right-wing extremists since 2008, according to a report published Monday in regional daily Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.

The German defense ministry released the figure following a parliamentary inquiry by Green Party lawmaker and domestic policy spokesperson Irene Mihalic, the report said.

Mihalic told the newspaper that the recruitment of more than 20 right-wing extremists per year poses a serious challenge to domestic security. They could use their military training to advance their agenda, she said.

Read more: What draws right-wing extremists to the military?

The German lawmaker noted that MAD President Christof Gramm told parliament earlier this month that only eight Bundeswehr soldiers had been identified annually, marking a stark difference to the latest data received by the military branch.

The discrepancy represents a "high analytical uncertainty on the subject," Mihalic said. She said the MAD must regularly inform Germany's parliament about extremist efforts in the military, especially when it concerns networks and strategies.

A growing issue?

The Bundeswehr has come under increased pressure from the government to deal with members of far-right movements after an army lieutenant identified as Franco A. was discovered in April leading a double life as a Syrian refugee and planning a terrorist attack.

In September, the MAD said that it had recorded 286 new cases of right-wing extremism in Germany's military. But MAD President Gramm told lawmakers earlier this month that after the suspension of mandatory military service in 2011, the number of right-wing cases decreased significantly.

Read more: The German military and its troubled traditions

However, it is unclear how the latest data from MAD compares to Gramm's earlier statements on decreased right-wing activity among the Bundeswehr's ranks.

With the latest revelations, authorities have pushed for more information about far-right activity in the German military. In the German city of Tübingen, prosecutors last month said they launched a probe into allegations of right-wing extremist behavior among the Special Forces Command, the country's elite military troops.

ls/rt (dpa, AFP)