Weapons of war found in western Germany in raid on arms dealers
Assault rifles, bazookas and submachine guns were among the weapons found by police in western Germany on Monday during a raid against organized arms trafficking networks.
The weapons arsenal was discovered in Remscheid, near the city of Wuppertal, police said.
Public prosecutor Wolf-Tilman Baumert said the find could be one of the largest stashes of war weapons ever discovered in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The raid took place after undercover investigators were able to purchase submachine guns.
Three suspected arms dealers, aged 34, 37 and 59, were detained on arrest warrants, Baumert said.
A total of 11 search warrants were carried out with 200 officers involved, said police chief Daniel Sternemann. Drugs and cash were also seized.
The arrests were preceded by a lengthy investigation.
Law enforcement authorities received their first tip-off in May 2024, and investigators bought weapons undercover for the first time in September 2024.
Investigator Michael Vagnsoe said the stash of weapons - found in the 59-year-old's basement - included relics from the Nazi era, but also items from the former Soviet Union.
"Due to the Nazi relics and the interest in the Nazi era, at least in terms of military history, we have also had investigations carried out by the local state security services and at this point in time no indications of right-wing extremist sentiments have been identified," explained Vagnsoe.
Baumer said that the dealers appeared to have been primarily motivated by financial interests.
