Overview
- Thuringia’s Higher Regional Court in Jena convicted three on Wednesday, jailing founder Kevin N. for two years and nine months and giving member Marvin W. and local politician Patrick Wieschke suspended sentences.
- Judges classified the network as a criminal association rather than a terrorist group, citing insufficient proof that its purpose shifted to killing.
- Evidence discussed included violent chat messages, four trips to a Czech shooting range, and a converted firearm that the court said did not work.
- Federal prosecutors had pressed terrorism charges and longer prison terms, yet the court followed the Federal Court of Justice’s view that the group is criminal; appeals are still possible.
- The outcome drew calls for tougher action, with Greens urging a special prosecutor and others seeking bans, as the Eisenach-based group trained fighters, attacked perceived enemies, and tried to carve out a so-called “Nazi neighborhood.”