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Special forces in the Yemen war
Photo: The_Yemeni_Army_ / dpa
Attorney General Peter Frank accuses at least two former Bundeswehr soldiers of having committed serious crimes. According to SPIEGEL information, the men are said to have been working on plans to build up a mercenary force of up to 150 men. They wanted to offer this private army under a humanitarian cover to the government of Saudi Arabia for illegal special missions in Yemen. There, Saudi Arabia has been fighting for years against the influence of the so-called Houthi rebels, who in turn are supported by Iran.
As the federal prosecutor announced on request, Arend-Adolf G. and Achim A. were arrested on Wednesday morning by officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district and in Munich.
At the same time, the accused's apartments and four other apartments in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were searched.
The allegations against the two ringleaders are extensive and serious.
The federal prosecutor's office accuses G. and A. of meeting to murder and hostage-taking.
She also accuses the two men of having plans for crimes against humanity.
There is also the suspicion that they wanted to found a terrorist organization and advertised foreign military service.
According to the investigation, they promised themselves a monthly mercenary wage of 40,000 euros each.
Arend-Adolf G. and Achim A. are said to have been active for the controversial security company Asgaard after their active time as paratroopers in the armed forces, G. even as their managing director at times.
The company has been in the sights of the authorities for years because it actively recruits former members of special units of the Bundeswehr and the police.
So far, the company was best known for security services in Iraq, where it guarded the Saudi embassy.
According to SPIEGEL information, a tip from the Military Counter-Intelligence Service (MAD) put the investigators on the trail of the men.
The intelligence service had received tips that former Bundeswehr soldiers were working on building up a mercenary force for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Apparently, one of those who should be recruited for the force had turned to the MAD.
Set up over the summer with active and former German soldiers and police officers, according to the report of the whistleblower, the troops were supposed to attack and take over areas held by the Houthi rebels during the civil war in Yemen.
Accordingly, gas should be used and infrastructure destroyed in order to prepare for capture by regular Yemeni government troops.
Bloody civil war
For years there has been a bloody civil war in Yemen between the government and Shiite Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia intervened massively on the part of the government in the conflict and tried to push back the Houthis with air strikes and special forces. The rebels are a thorn in the side of the Saudi rulers because they are supported by Iran. In Riyadh there are fears that the declared archenemy could establish a foothold south of their own empire.
What sounds like a wild tale by former soldiers seems to have been largely confirmed in the meantime.
According to SPIEGEL information, BKA state security officers evaluated numerous chats, among other things.
They also monitored more than two dozen telephone lines in the meantime.
The accused are said to have approached other former or active Bundeswehr soldiers in order to win them over to their project.
According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, Achim A. tried "persistently" to come into contact with Saudi government agencies in order to present the plan to them.
However, the Saudis did not respond to his attempts.
Ex-soldier is said to have sounded out orders abroad
The security company Asgaard made the headlines earlier after allegedly extremely right-wing activities of some employees became known. In addition, the Federal Public Prosecutor is investigating a managerial employee of the company on suspicion of preparing a serious act of violence that is dangerous to the state. It is about the suspicion that he should have threatened the left-wing politician Martina Renner with death. At least that was what a former employee of the company had told the authorities. The Asgaard manager denies the allegations that "Nazi and attack plans" never existed, he said.
The security company has been a thorn in the side of the federal government for years. Information circulated early on that the company was primarily recruiting from active and former soldiers and police officers. The Bundeswehr feared that Asgaard could tap top secret tactics and sensitive information on foreign missions from special forces. In addition, the military leadership was bothered by the fact that the security company in crisis regions such as Iraq appeared in uniform and with the German flag.
Nonetheless, recruiting went largely as smoothly as with other providers for many years. Sometimes soldiers traveled to crisis areas on behalf of Asgaard with the knowledge of their superiors during their vacation time. Some later raved about the good equipment and payment and attracted more interested parties. Some time ago the Bundeswehr forbade its special forces to do anything for the company. The Federal Ministry of the Interior also explicitly advised its security authorities that they were not allowed to allow their employees to work part-time for the company.
Since the beginning of 2021 at the latest, Asgaard has been a serious problem for the authorities.
Since then, the MAD and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution have been trying to look behind its facade and illuminate the network of former soldiers and police officers.
The services regularly exchange their findings in a joint working group.
The Bundestag's secret control committee was also informed several times in 2021.
Investigators found out by observing an Asgaard recruitment event that Matthias D., a 40-year-old soldier in the Bundeswehr from Neubrandenburg, was also interested in working as a mercenary.
D. is known to the internal investigators of the troops because of his right-wing extremist attitude and has been banned from working due to ongoing investigations.
According to investigations, D. continued his activities for Asgaard.
The soldier traveled to the Middle East several times in the spring.
The investigators suspect that he wanted to offer the company's services there on his trips to Beirut.
During an attempted departure that the federal police prevented, they found an Asgaard uniform in their luggage.
First of all, D.'s passport was withdrawn, but he successfully sued against the ban on leaving the country.
