(ProsperNews.net) – In a significant crackdown on far-left extremism, German authorities have arrested Johann Guntermann, the alleged leader of the notorious Antifa “Hammer Gang,” on charges of orchestrating violent attacks on right-wing activists throughout Europe. The 31-year-old was apprehended by a German police task force on Friday while traveling on a train near Weimar, ending years of successful evasion.
Guntermann, described as Germany’s “most dangerous left-wing terrorist,” reportedly led the Leipzig-based group known for carrying out targeted assaults with weapons like hammers and batons. He was brought before a Federal Court of Justice judge in Karlsruhe shortly after his arrest, according to reports from the German newspaper Bild. Known as “Antifa East,” the gang had built a violent reputation, allegedly targeting far-right groups and even neo-Nazi organizations across Europe.
Sporting tattoos that read “HATE” on his right hand and “COPS” on his left, Guntermann had an arrest warrant issued in March 2021, with a €10,000 bounty later placed on his head. It remains unclear if a tip from within his circle led to his capture. Guntermann was previously engaged to Lina E., another convicted far-left activist associated with the “Hammer Gang.”
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser commented on the arrest, asserting, “nobody can feel safe in the underground,” a warning to those attempting to operate outside the law. The Saxony State Criminal Police Office has said that it is “fairly certain” Guntermann participated in a brutal hammer attack on a group of neo-Nazis in Budapest earlier this year, on February 11, 2023.
Italian activist and teacher Ilaria Salis, another alleged participant in the Budapest attack, gained headlines after being released from house arrest in Hungary earlier this year upon her election to the European Parliament, which granted her legal immunity. However, Hungarian lawmakers, particularly from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, have requested that the European Parliament strip Salis of her immunity so she can be prosecuted on three counts of assault, charges she denies.
The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee is set to review Hungary’s request to rescind Salis’s immunity, according to Parliament President Roberta Metsola. This arrest marks a turning point in efforts to address far-left violence in Europe, highlighting ongoing tensions around political extremism on both ends of the spectrum.
Copyright 2024, ProsperNews.net
