Prison sentences for members of the 'Last Wave of Defence'

A German court has sentenced members of the far-right group "Letzte Verteidigungswelle" to prison terms ranging from 1.5 to five years. The verdict was delivered by the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg during a terrorism trial involving eight accused individuals and supporters of the group. All defendants were aged between 14 and 21 at the time of the alleged crimes. The court found the group responsible for attempted murder, arson, membership in a terrorist organization, and dangerous assault. According to the prosecution, the right-wing cell planned bombings and attacks targeting asylum seekers and left-wing institutions. The group had already carried out some attacks before the trial. The state protection chamber of the higher regional court conducted secret hearings for 28 days before issuing its ruling. Public spectators were allowed back into the courtroom after the verdict was announced. The court determined that the group intended to carry out explosive and fire attacks against refugee accommodations and leftist facilities. It also alleged that members engaged in so-called "Pädo-Hunting," which refers to targeting individuals they believed to be pedophiles. The presiding judge stated that the "Letzte Verteidigungswelle" was clearly a terrorist organization, oriented toward committing murder and manslaughter. This marks the first time a German court has made such a determination. The convictions were issued under youth criminal law. The youngest defendant received a 1.5-year prison sentence, which was suspended with probation. Four of the convicted remain minors, aged 15, 17, 17, and 19. Two others are 19 and 22 years old. The judgment is still pending appeal. Some of the accused admitted their actions and agreed to participate in deradicalization programs. According to the indictment, the group carried out multiple attacks. In October 2024, an attack on a cultural center in Altdöbern, Brandenburg, resulted in the building being completely destroyed. Fortunately, the occupants were unharmed due to chance. In January of last year, two members tried to set fire to an asylum seeker accommodation in Schmölln, Thuringia, using pyrotechnics. They had also painted swastikas and slogans like “Out with foreigners” on the building’s facade. Three members reportedly planned an arson attack using so-called spherical bombs on an asylum seeker facility in Senftenberg, Brandenburg. However, the plot was thwarted due to information provided by a team of reporters. Authorities raided several states in response to the group's activities. A year ago, federal prosecutors conducted large-scale raids in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Hesse. Another raid took place this March while the trial was ongoing. At the end of June, two more youths were arrested in Thuringia as suspected members of the group. The trial took place in Hamburg because the Hamburg State Protection Chamber also handles cases from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Two of the group’s central figures hail from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.