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West German Lawman Nabbed in Crackdown on Neo-Nazi Activity

March 27, 1981
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A quantity of neo-Nazi propaganda material was found in the home of a senior law enforcement officer in the course of the country-wide police raids Tuesday. The head of the Criminal Investigation Department at police headquarters in Recklinghausen was arrested as a result, on suspicion of rightwing activities proscribed by law.

The surprise raids which netted tons of anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi literature in some 600 private homes and apartment, was welcomed by most of the press. The Frankfurter Rundschau criticized the authorities for not having acted sooner.

OUTLAWED NEO-NAZI GROUP RESURFACES

Meanwhile, Alex Wernitz, chairman of the Bundestag Committee for Interior Affairs, disclosed yesterday that the outlawed Wehrsportgruppe Hoffman has spawned a successor organization active in the areas of Augsburg and Neustadt. According to Wernitz, a member of the ruling Social Democratic Party, the new group calls itself the Bundeswehr Fan Club and has a membership of between 20-30 persons who wear uniforms and drill with weapons and motor vehicles.

The original Wehrsportgruppe Hoffman, a neo-Nazi paramilitary organization that masqueraded as a sports club, was outlawed Jan. 30, 1980. Its leader, Karl-Heinz Hoffman, had close contacts with the Palestine Liberation Organization which hosted him on a visit to Beirut and some of its members received training at PLO camps in Lebanon. Bavarian police said they had no knowledge of the new organization but promised a prompt inquiry.

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