The German government on Monday condemned plans for “frightening” attacks on several mosques in the country by a tiny group of the far right which has just been dismantled and wanted to imitate the massacre in Christchurch a year ago.
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"What has been brought to light is frightening, to see a group obviously radicalizing themselves so quickly," said a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Björn Grünewälder at a press conference in Berlin. It is "important that places of worship be protected," he added.
"The state's mission is to ensure the free practice of religion in this country without danger or threat, regardless of which religion," said Steffen Seibert, spokesman for the government and the Chancellor Angela Merkel.
On Friday, twelve members of a far-right group were arrested across Germany and then detained on suspicion of preparations for the attacks. They are suspected of having targeted Muslim places of worship during prayer, on the model of the attack in Christchurch, in New Zealand, which in March 2019 had killed 51 people in two mosques while filming themselves live.
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According to the popular newspaper Bild, the alleged head of the German group, known and monitored for several months by the authorities, has threatened in internet exchanges to cut the hands of people with opinions different from his own. The group intended to attack mosques in "a dozen regions" in Germany, but also politicians and asylum seekers.
