On Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, the Hamburg Higher Regional Court sentenced seven members and one supporter of the far-right terrorist group "Last Wave of Defense" (Letzte Verteidigungswelle) to youth prison terms ranging from one and a half to five years. The defendants were aged between 14 and 21 when they committed their crimes.

The court found them guilty of offenses intended to bring about the collapse of Germany's political system by targeting migrants and political opponents. The judge noted that the group's name reflected a deeply racist and violent mindset. The youngest defendant received a suspended sentence of one and a half years.

According to the ruling, the group carried out an arson attack in October 2024 on a community cultural center in Altdöbern, Brandenburg, described as "an absolute catastrophe" due to its role as a hub for culture and local gatherings. Additionally, three members had planned an arson attack on an asylum seeker shelter in Senftenberg, Brandenburg.

The defendants were charged with membership in or support of a terrorist organization. Authorities estimate the group has a broader membership, and shortly after the trial began, federal prosecutors conducted raids targeting 10 additional suspects across several German states, including Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein.

Officials also observed that some young perpetrators have relatives previously known to authorities as right-wing extremists during the 1990s, a period referred to as the "baseball bat years."

Politicians have expressed concern that individuals drawn into extremist violence are becoming younger.

Sources