German army officers false flag terror attack Vienna airport

[TonyGosling]

German soldier arrested, planned #FalseFlag terror attack on Vienna airport so that refugees would take the blame
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-soldier-syria-re fugee-false-flag-terror-attack-posing-arrested-frankfurt-france-bavari a-a7705231.html

German soldier posing as a Syrian refugee arrested for planning 'false flag' terror attack
Investigators say lieutenant stashed gun at Vienna airport to be used in 'act of state-threatening violence'

Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden 3 days ago121 comments

A German soldier found posing as a Syrian refugee has been arrested for allegedly planning a “false flag” shooting attack that would be blamed on asylum seekers.

The unidentified soldier was detained when he went to retrieve a loaded pistol he had hidden in a bathroom at Vienna International Airport.

The public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt said the 28-year-old is suspected of planning a serious “state-threatening act of violence”, fraud and violating firearms laws.

More than 90 German police officers have worked alongside Austrian and French security forces to search 16 locations across three countries on Wednesday, when a suspected accomplice was arrested in Bavaria.

Investigations have revealed that the Bundeswehr lieutenant was stationed at Illkirch-Graffenstaden in France before registering as a refugee back in Germany.

He gave false information to authorities in Giessen, Hesse, on 30 December 2015 – as Germany was overwhelmed by the arrival of almost a million asylum seekers.

Posing as a Syrian refugee but reportedly speaking in French, rather than Arabic, the man submitted an asylum application at Zirndorf in Bavaria in January last year.

“As a result, he was given shelter in a refugee home and has received monthly financial benefits under this false identity,” the Frankfurt prosecutor’s office said.

“These findings, as well as other evidence, point towards a xenophobic motive for the soldier’s suspected plan to commit an attack using a weapon deposited at Vienna airport.”

If his plan had succeeded, his fingerprints would have registered on the refugee records system and led investigators to his false identity as a Syrian asylum seeker, turning fresh scrutiny on migrants in Germany.

Isis has previously used a similar ploy, giving its militants fake Syrian passports that were found at the scene of the Paris attacks.

The man’s suspected accomplice, a 24-year-old student, was arrested in Hammelburg for alleged involvement in the plot.

Police have searched the homes of the two suspects as well as their friends and workplaces, with detectives seizing “extensive material” including mobile phones, laptops and documents.

Prosecutors said the soldier had no permission for the 7.65mm pistol stashed in Vienna, while illegal weapons were also found at his accomplice’s house.

Both men remain in custody in Frankfurt as the probe continues.

The soldier was arrested days after prosecutors revealed that the man who orchestrated the Dortmund bus bombings had attempted to frame Isis to make money on shares.

Sergej W, a dual German-Russian national, detonated three bombs targeting a bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund football team, seriously injuring one player on 11 April.

He left misspelled letters at the scene claiming the attack was retaliation for German military intervention against Isis, but investigations found he was not an Islamist but a trader planning to profit from short-selling shares.

A series of Isis-inspired terror attacks and plots in Germany have raised tensions leading into September’s federal elections, where Angela Merkel is battling to win a fourth term as Chancellor.

Right-wing groups have blamed her decision to open borders to refugees in 2015, while extremists have launched hundreds of attacks on asylum seekers’ accommodation.

At least two neo-Nazi terror plots have been uncovered, while security services have cracked down on the anti-government Reichsbürger movement after one of its members killed a police officer.

Division over asylum, immigration and security has driven clashes at protests and political rallies, driving a record year for politically-motivated crime in Germany.

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

Sun May 7, 2017 | 7:44 AM EDT
German army searches all barracks after Nazi memorabilia found
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1830FJ

FILE PHOTO: German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (C) walks with General Joerg Vollmer, General Inspector of the German Land Army (L), and General Volker Wieker, Inspector General of Germany's Armed Forces in Bundeswehr, during her visit at the 291st fighter squadron based at the ''Quartier Leclerc'', a military facility for French and German military units in Illkirch-Graffenstaden near Strasbourg, France May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
FILE PHOTO: German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (C) walks with General Joerg Vollmer, General Inspector of the German Land Army (L), and General Volker Wieker, Inspector General of Germany's Armed Forces in Bundeswehr, during her visit at the 291st fighter squadron based at the ''Quartier Leclerc'', a military facility for French and German military units in Illkirch-Graffenstaden near Strasbourg, France May 3, 2017.
REUTERS/VINCENT KESSLER
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The head of Germany's armed forces has called for an inspection of all army barracks after investigators discovered Nazi-era military memorabilia in a garrison, broadening a scandal about right-wing extremism among soldiers.

The discovery at a barracks in Donaueschingen, in southwest Germany, was made in an investigation that began after similar Nazi-era items were found in the garrison of an army officer arrested on suspicion of planning a racially motivated attack.

As a result, General Inspector Volker Wieker ordered a wider search of barracks.

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"The General Inspector has instructed that all properties be inspected to see whether rules on dealing with heritage with regard to the Wehrmacht and National Socialism are being observed," a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

Defence Minister Ursula Von der Leyen said the military must root out right-wing extremism.

"We are training people with weapons. It is right that there are higher standards for us. A 'carry on' attitude is out of the question," she told weekly newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

Displaying Nazi items such as swastikas is punishable under German law, though possession of regular Wehrmacht items is not. However, von der Leyen said last week she would not tolerate the veneration of the Wehrmacht in today's army, the Bundeswehr.

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Von der Leyen provoked criticism from a soldiers' group last week when she criticized what she called "weak leadership" in the military after the officer's arrest on suspicion of planning a racist attack.

On Thursday, she apologized for the tone of her criticism of the military over its handling of the racism case, as she sought to contain a divisive row in the build-up to national elections in September.

A preliminary report into the inspection of all barracks is due on Tuesday. With the final results on May 16.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Andrew Bolton)

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

German police raid homes of men ‘plotting to kill left-wing leaders’
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-police-raid-home s-right-wing-men-plot-kill-left-wing-leaders-mecklenburg-vorpommern-a7 916786.html?amp

One of the suspects is believed to be a policeman

Harry Cockburn Monday 28 August 2017

German police presence has been increased since an attack on a Christmas market that killed 12 people

Police in northern Germany have raided homes and businesses belonging to two men suspected of stockpiling weapons and plotting to kill left-wing leaders.

The two men, one of whom is reported to be a policeman, are said to have created a hit list of names of left-leaning figures.

According to German newspaper Die Zeit, the men are thought to have “extreme right-wing” views, and were planning a series of murders.

The police said the men had been using web forums where they had mainly spoken about Germany’s refugee policy.

The men were arrested in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a federal state in northeast Germany.

The policeman is believed to have worked in the small castle town of Ludwigslust, which is 40km south of the state’s capital Schwerin.

But the men are not currently in custody, CNN reports.

In a statement on Monday the German federal prosecutor said: "According to the results of the investigation so far, the two accused were in contact with different chat groups with other people," the statement said.

"The focus of the discussion was the political development of the Federal Republic of Germany, especially the refugee and immigration policy, which they considered inadequate.

"As a result, the accused feared impoverishment of private and public budgets as well as an increase in attacks and other crimes that they believed would lead to a collapse of the state order."

According to Die Zeit, the Schwerin Ministry of the Interior has announced further searches relating to people said to be non-suspected third parties. Among them was another police officer from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The federal prosecutor's office is now investigating the case which it says could have caused “serious state-threatening violence”.

German politicians have demanded to know the names on the pair’s hit list.

Martina Renner, a left-wing member of the Bundestag, who has previously campaigned against racism and neo-Nazism, addressed a written question to the Federal Government asking for information on when the authorities knew about the list of targets.

She asked: "How many of the people who are on this list have been informed [by] the Federal Government?"

Dietmar Bartsch, who is also a left-leaning politician and who has his constituency in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, called for clarification: "I want to know who is on the list," he said.

[TonyGosling]

Germany's top court frees far-right 'refugee' soldier accused of planning terrorist attack
http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-top-court-frees-far-right-refugee-soldie r-accused-of-planning-terrorist-attack/a-41587390

A soldier suspected of planning a terrorist attack disguised as a refugee has been released due to insufficient evidence. The case of Franco A. has drawn attention to right-wing extremists among the German army's ranks.
German military uniforms
Germany's highest criminal court on Wednesday released Franco A., a lieutenant in the armed forces suspected of planning a terrorist attack, citing insufficient evidence to charge the military officer.
"The results so far of the investigation do not substantiate the strong suspicion that a serious act threatening the state was in preparation," argued the Karlsruhe-based Federal Court of Justice (Germany's highest criminal court in most instances) in its decision.
Read more: What draws right-wing extremists to the military?
Federal prosecutors accused Franco A. of living a double life as an army officer with far-right extremist sentiments and a refugee receiving government benefits.
The 28-year-old allegedly took on the identity of a Syrian refugee, planning to commit terrorist attacks targeting public figures and blame the incidents on asylum seekers. He is suspected of stealing assault rifles from the German military and stashing weapons at an airport in Vienna, Austria.
The case of Franco A. drew widespread attention across Germany after information surfaced that he stored Nazi paraphernalia in his barracks, including an assault rifle case with a swastika carved into it.
Verteidigungsministerin Ursula von der Leyen (picture-alliance/dpa/G. Fischer)
BUNDESWEHR SCANDALS: VON DER LEYEN ON THE DEFENSIVE
Von der Leyen under fire
Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen wanted to show she's not blind to problems among her own troops. In light of the most recent scandal, she openly criticized army leadership, saying the Bundeswehr had an "attitude problem." But Bundeswehr officials found her comments to be outrageous. Their response to the defense minister's criticism: "Leadership goes from the top down."

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Right-wing extremism in the Bundeswehr
Leaders of the German armed forces have come under increased pressure from the government to deal with members of far-right movements among its ranks.
Authorities have launched investigations into right-wing sentiment among soldiers, with prosecutors in the German city of Tübingen investigating allegations of right-wing extremist behavior among Germany's Special Force Commando, the nation's elite military troops.
Read more: Germany's military and its troubled traditions
According to Germany's military Counterintelligence Service, about 200 Bundeswehr soldiers have been classified as right-wing extremists since 2008.
German lawmakers have called for stringent measures to combat case of extremism in the Bundeswehr, with Left Party domestic policy spokeswoman Ulla Jelpke saying "there can be no pardon for neo-Nazis."
"Armed right-wing extremists are ticking time-bombs," said Jelpke in September. "Even on reasonable suspicion, the persons concerned should no longer have access to weapons until the allegations have been clarified."
Watch video02:55
Bundeswehr recruits: Young and wanted
ls/msh (dpa, AFP, epd)
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[TonyGosling]

Second German soldier arrested over 'false flag' plot to assassinate left-wing politicians in terror attack
Prosecutors say Maximilian T covered for friend as he posed as Syrian refugee
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-soldiers-false- flag-arrests-refugees-assassinate-plot-far-right-left-wing-politicians -terror-a7726676.html

Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden Tuesday 9 May 2017 16:05

A second soldier has been arrested for allegedly planning a “false flag” terror attack to be blamed on refugees in Germany amid fears of a wider neo-Nazi network within the army.

The plot was exposed with the arrest of a German lieutenant, Franco A, who was found to be posing as a Syrian refugee in order to carry out a shooting attack targeting left-wing politicians.

One of his friends at Illkirch-Graffenstaden barracks in France has now been detained for allegedly covering for the soldier’s absences as he periodically returned to Bavaria to continue the ruse.

Read more
Neo-Nazi network in German army linked to 'false flag' plot
Germany investigating how soldier registered as refugee in terror plot

German soldier posing as a refugee arrested for planning attack
​Maximilian T, a 27-year-old German national, was also a member of Jägerbataillon 291 and was arrested on Tuesday after being questioned by military intelligence officers.

He had joined his friend on a trip to Vienna in January – supposedly for an officers’ ball – where Franco A stashed an unregistered gun to be used in the attack at the city’s main airport.

Maximilian T was also part of an online messaging group where he, Franco A and other members exchanged far-right posts, photos and audio files, Der Spiegel reported.

He is assumed to be “number three” in the plot, following Franco A and Mathias F, a friend from his hometown who was also arrested in April.

“They were willing, or at least claimed to be, to kill for their cause,” an investigator said.

As well as the loaded 7.65mm pistol stashed in a toilet at Vienna International Airport, around 1,000 rounds of ammunition were found at Mathias F’s home in Offenbach – mostly stolen from the German army.

The federal prosecutor's office said the three suspects were suspected of planning to attack senior politicians and public figures “who are committed to an immigration and refugee policy which has failed in the view of the defendants”.

The names of the former German President, Joachim Gauck, and left-wing justice minister Heiko Maas (SPD) were on a list of potential targets, said spokesperson Frauke Köhler.

She told a press conference Franco A planned to frame Islamist militants for the attack, which would have been linked to his fake identity as a Syrian refugee.

“The three suspects wanted to direct suspicion at asylum seekers living in Germany after the attack,” she added.

“The planned attack was intended to be interpreted by the population as a radical Islamist terrorist attack by a recognised refugee.

“Especially with regard to the ongoing public discussion over immigration and refugee policy, an alleged terrorist attack by a registered asylum seeker would have attracted particular attention and contributed to the sense of threat.”

Numerous asylum seekers have been arrested on terror charges in Germany, including former members of Isis, al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Franco A had created a fake persona under the name David Benjamin, telling immigration officials he was a Damascus fruit seller from a Christian family with French roots.

No doubts appear to have been raised over the credibility of the 28-year-old’s background, despite him speaking mainly French with a smattering of Arabic from a language course.

The lieutenant registered in Giessen, Hesse, on 30 December 2015 – as Germany was overwhelmed by the arrival of almost a million asylum seekers - then submitted an asylum application at Zirndorf in Bavaria in January last year.

Despite having to return to Germany to collect monthly welfare payments, Franco A continued his army post in France until the day of his arrest because his friend covered for him, prosecutors said.

“Maximilian T is strongly suspected of planning a serious act of violence against the state out of a right-wing extremist conviction,” a spokesperson added.

“The resulting absences were at least partly covered up by Maximilian T, who had excused Franco A to his superiors.”

Officials said he obtained a Second World War era Unique Model 17 pistol for the attack, which he hid in a disabled toilet in Vienna International Airport while passing through in January.

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Franco A’s double life was only discovered when he was arrested after returning to retrieve the gun in February.

A fingerprint check revealed his fake identity as a Syrian refugee, but when “David Benjamin” failed to answer a court summons in Austria, a wider investigation was triggered and the plot unravelled.

The soldier had not raised alarm over extremism in the army, despite writing a master’s thesis on ”political change and subversion strategy“ at a French university in 2014 that was found to contain far-right thinking.

Read more

German-Russian man 'carried out Dortmund attack to affect share price'
An assault rifle case carved with a swastika was found in his barracks room, where the letters HH [Heil Hitler] were inscribed on the wall and a Nazi-era pamphlet depicting a Wehrmacht soldier was discovered.

The unprecedented plot has shocked Germany, prompting investigations within the army and interior ministry over how Franco A was able to lead a double life for more than a year.

The defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, has come under fire for her handling of the case after attacking “weak leadership” following the discovery of 275 suspected right-wing extremists within Germany’s military.

She has since apologised for her blanket criticism, following scandals including sexual abuse and hazing at another military base.

Angela Merkel defended the minister, who has been widely tipped as her successor as Germany heads of federal elections in September.

“It is right that the defence minister did not trivialise what has happened,” the Chancellor said.

“She calls it by its name [right-wing extremism] and is saying that we have to look at whether something like this is happening more often."