More than 200 police officers searched 19 properties in a major operation and also conducted a raid in Denmark, Euronews reports.
German authorities conducted raids in six states on Wednesday to search for suspected members of the Brigade N’Hamedu, a group accused of trying to overthrow the government of Eritrea.
The group is considered a “domestic terrorist organisation” under German law and the 17 suspects hold senior positions in its German branch, which has been active since at least 2022, according to a statement from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor’s office said the group is part of an “international network that intends to overthrow the Eritrean government.”
The N’Hamedu Brigade allegedly organised violent clashes at Eritrean events in Germany, including Eritrean festivals in Giessen on August 20 2022 and August 7-8 2023, and a seminar in Stuttgart in September 2023.
According to the statement, the suspects regarded violence against German state institutions and police officers as a “legitimate means,” especially at gatherings supported by the Eritrean government. Many police officers were injured in the incidents.
A total of 19 sites were searched in Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Rhineland-Palatinate. A parallel search was also carried out in Denmark.
More than 200 federal and state law enforcement officers were involved in the operation. No arrests have yet been reported.
The Prosecutor’s Office also reported that another alleged high-ranking member of the N’Hamedou Brigade, operating in both the Netherlands and Germany, was recently sentenced by a Dutch court to several years’ imprisonment for his role in the clashes in The Hague on February 17, 2024.
Eritrea is widely recognised as one of the most repressive regimes in the world. In recent years, people who have fled the country have disrupted festivals organised by the Eritrean diaspora in Europe and North America. Some say that these protests are against the Eritrean government, while others claim that the events raise money to support it.
