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LKA analyzes left-wing extremist violent criminals: The scene is a learning organism
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Leipzig / Dresden – Saxony is considered a stronghold of right-wing extremists. But left-wing extremism has Leipzig experts now believe centers like Berlin and Hamburg run out of rank in some areas.
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Dirk Münster, lead investigator at the State Office of Criminal Investigation in Saxony, has carefully analyzed left-wing extremist structures in Saxony. © Ronald Bonss / dpa-Zentralbild / ronaldbonss.com
As a rule, a command of left-wing violent criminals consists of five people. “One of them secures, one keeps the stopwatch, one takes the command, and the rest strikes or throws the incendiary devices,” says Dirk Münster, head of the Police Terrorism and Extremism Defense Center at the State Criminal Police Office of Saxony (LKA). It all only takes a few minutes. And afterwards the trail is not exactly lush.
Münster speaks of a “learning organism”. “You evaluate our approach and the investigation files, try not to make your own mistakes again.”
There are law students reading files and people analyzing the technical capabilities of the police. In the meantime, a kind of chlorine liquid is sprayed at the crime scene to destroy traces of DNA and traces of smell. Then you have only bad cards in the search for clues.
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“You take a close look at how our mission went and act accordingly. There regular working groups are formed. The procedure is professional,” assesses the Chief Detective Director.
Even if the main focus is still on right-wing extremism in the Free State, the experts at the State Criminal Police Office are concerned. The dynamic of acts of violence “politically motivated crime on the left” – as the official name is – is increasing.
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The right and left scene influence each other
Soko LinX was founded in 2019 under Saxony’s Interior Minister Roland Wöller (51, CDU). © Robert Michael / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
Last year, left-wing extremist violent criminals in Saxony were assigned 231 crimes, on the right-hand side there were 75. “There is now three times more left-wing violence. That is a bad development,” says Münster.
He attributes the fact that the right-wing scene has come under better and better control primarily to the high pressure of persecution in recent years. But left-wing extremists cannot feel safe either.
In November 2019, the formation of a special commission – Soko LinX – was announced. Officially, it has 25 employees. Previously, there had been repeated arson attacks on construction sites and construction companies in Saxony, in which extremists from the left-wing extremist scene were suspected.
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The violence escalated when, at the beginning of November 2019, two hooded perpetrators attacked a 34-year-old woman – authorized signatory of a real estate company – in her Leipzig apartment and punched her. She was injured and had to be hospitalized. The perpetrators have not been convicted to this day.
This act was also new to the investigators. Up until then, the left-wing extremist scene was mainly concerned Right-wing extremists processed. The scene influences each other, as Münster explains. An increase in right-wing violence leads to backlash on the other side. When suspects from both camps are on trial, there are often differences. “Left-wing extremist suspects neither speak to us, nor do they get involved in court. When it comes to rights, someone always wants to testify.”
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In October 2019, strangers set fire to two cranes on a large construction site on Prager Strasse in Leipzig. Then the Saxon government founded the Soko LinX. © Leipzig operations
“At first we stood like a wall”
The student Lina E. has been in custody for six months on suspicion of leading left-wing extremist attacks. There are repeated demonstrations in Leipzig for their release. © Sebastian Willnow / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
Dirk Münster sums up the average profile of left-wing extremist violent criminals as follows: Men between 20 and 30 years of age, educated, often in a student environment.
The fact that the Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe brought charges against the Leipzig student Lina E. is a little out of the ordinary. As the head of a group, she is said to have attacked and beat up actors from the right-wing scene. Four suspects should now answer in court.
Despite the growing number of cases, the LKA does not want to dramatize the issue of left-wing extremism. In the Saxon Constitutional Protection Report of 2019, the scene is numbered at 760 people, 415 are considered to be violent. Compared to previous years, the numbers are slightly down. “At first we were standing in front of a wall. Today we have a better view of the people who could potentially be criminals,” reports Münster.
In order to better understand the phenomenon, the investigators also use the services of researchers. A scientific study on politically motivated crime in Saxony is currently underway at the LKA. In this way one wants to find out which catalysts influence the development. Crises such as the financial crisis, the refugee crisis or the corona pandemic have always increased the number of cases for this type of crime.
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“Social polarization is the pacemaker for politically motivated crime,” says Münster, formulating a thesis, although the study is not yet conclusive. However, some trends are certain. Despite good networking, violent left-wing criminals operate in small groups – albeit under an ideological superstructure. Trained martial artists from Antifa sports groups are increasingly playing a role. There is also crime related to acquisitions such as theft and drug trafficking. “In the end, they’re just criminals,” says Münster.
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Cover photo: Ronald Bonss / dpa-Zentralbild / ronaldbonss.com
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