German police raid 15 properties in five states over banned right-wing sect Artgemeinschaft

Multi-state searches

German police searched 15 properties across five federal states on the morning of 27 August 2026 as part of an investigation into the banned right-wing extremist organisation Artgemeinschaft. The operation targeted 15 suspects accused of violating the federal ban on the organisation by continuing its activities. Officers from state criminal investigation offices took part in coordinated actions across Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia. In Berlin, police entered two properties located in Zehlendorf and Schöneberg, while searches in Brandenburg took place at addresses in Potsdam and Zossen. In North Rhine-Westphalia, investigators searched a property in Lippstadt alongside locations in the districts of Lippe and Höxter, while another search occurred in the Lower Saxony municipality of Jameln.

Solstice gathering in Gardelegen

The focal point of the raids was Saxony-Anhalt, where police searched multiple properties in the municipality of Gardelegen. Investigators initiated the proceedings following a summer solstice celebration held in June on a property in Gardelegen-Ipse belonging to Simon Lansmann, an Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate for the state parliament. Police monitored vehicle access during the event, which was organised as a private gathering, and identified several individuals connected to the Artgemeinschaft. During the meeting, participants reportedly conducted rituals linked to the banned group and sang a Hitler Youth song. Officers seized documents and electronic data storage devices during Thursday's searches to gather evidence on whether the organisation continued to operate illegally.

Legal ban and extremist background

Founded in 1951 by the teacher Wilhelm Kusserow under the full name "Artgemeinschaft - Germanische Glaubens-Gemeinschaft wesensgemäßer Lebensgestaltung", the group operated as a Germanic-pagan network promoting racial ideology. Before its prohibition, security authorities estimated the group had around 150 members, while its closed gatherings and community days drew up to 250 participants. The Federal Ministry of the Interior banned the association in 2023, with former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser describing it as a "sect-like, deeply racist and antisemitic organisation". The group filed a legal challenge against the prohibition, arguing in court that members lived their beliefs privately and were protected by freedom of religion. The Federal Administrative Court rejected the appeal in April 2026, ruling in the final instance that the group adopted the societal model of National Socialism and maintained active links across the right-wing extremist scene.

Investigation status and political figures

The Halle public prosecutor's office confirmed that the ongoing proceedings focus on suspected violations of the statutory ban on unconstitutional organisations. Alongside Lansmann, the investigation also involves Sebastian Koch, another AfD candidate running for the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament in the September election. Both politicians had attended the June solstice event on the property in Ipse and later stated through a legal representative that the gathering did not constitute a continuation of the banned group. Both men also publicly distanced themselves from the ideology of the Artgemeinschaft. Authorities confirmed that no arrest warrants were issued during the Thursday operation, with police focusing on the confiscation of electronic devices and written material to determine organizational ties.