October 21, 2025•Update: October 22, 2025
BERLIN
A German far-right extremist arrested last month planned to kill as many migrants as possible, citing Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik as his inspiration, media reported Tuesday.
Dan E., a former regional leader of the far-right party "Die Rechte," was taken into custody in Berlin in late September after disclosing his plans, German officials told the Tagesspiegel newspaper.
The 31-year-old suspect told those around him he planned to kill migrants in large numbers, then die in a confrontation with police -- a scenario known as "suicide by cop," investigators said. He specifically cited Anders Breivik, the right-wing terrorist who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011, as his inspiration.
A prosecutor's office spokesman confirmed the arrest to the regional broadcaster BR, adding that the suspect has been held in a psychiatric hospital since late last month. Prosecutors are investigating Dan E. on suspicion of disturbing public peace through threats of criminal acts, intimidation and weapons violations. A psychiatric evaluation is still pending, officials said.
The Bavaria-born suspect has lived in Berlin for several years and had ties to the right-wing extremist group "Deutsche Jugend Voran" (German Youth Forward), investigators said. Security agencies have warned in recent years about radicalized youth groups that blend ideological extremism with a willingness to use violence against perceived enemies.
Official figures show that neo-Nazis and far-right extremists committed 42,788 crimes in Germany last year -- the highest number in over a decade. They perpetrated 1,488 violent attacks against migrants, refugees, or political opponents, marking a 17% increase from the previous year. These attacks left at least 1,068 people injured.
