The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg has delivered convictions and prison sentences for seven members and one supporter of the right-wing extremist organization known as “Last Defense Wave.” The defendants faced multiple serious charges, including attempted murder, arson, aggravated assault, and participation in a terrorist organization.
At the time of their offenses, the individuals involved were between 14 and 21 years old. Consequently, the court processed the case under German juvenile criminal law, issuing sentences ranging from one and a half to five years in prison. The youngest defendant received a one-and-a-half-year sentence, which the court opted to suspend. These rulings remain subject to appeal.
The group’s criminal activities included carrying out arson and bomb attacks targeting left-wing facilities and shelters for asylum seekers. Additionally, the members were accused of engaging in “pedo-hunting,” which involved tracking down individuals they personally suspected of being pedophiles. The indictment detailed several specific incidents, including an October 2024 arson attack on a cultural center in Altdöbern, Brandenburg. The building was completely destroyed, and officials noted that it was only due to chance that the residents inside were not injured.
In another incident in January 2024, two members attempted to set fire to an asylum seeker shelter in Schmölln, Thuringia, using pyrotechnics. While the fire attempt was unsuccessful, the perpetrators defaced the building by spray-painting swastikas and slogans such as “foreigners out.” Furthermore, the indictment highlighted a planned arson attack on an asylum seeker shelter in Senftenberg, Brandenburg. That attempt was thwarted after authorities received tips from a reporting team.
The young men, who were between 14 and 21 years old at the time, were tried under Germany’s juvenile criminal law and given sentences between one and a half to five years in prison.
The sentence for the youngest defendant — one and a half years in prison — was suspended, German news agency dpa reported. Wednesday’s rulings can still be appealed.
