German prosecutors have dismissed 19 police officers and suspended another from a commando unit in the western state of Hesse over allegations that they glorified violence and made references to a former Nazi organisation in online chats, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The investigation into the 20 suspects began during a separate probe of an officer in the same unit, known as SEK, who was suspected of sharing child sexual abuse images. The discovery of several chat groups containing criminal content was made during an evaluation of the suspect's mobile phones, according to Frankfurt's senior public prosecutor, Nadja Niesen.
German police and security agencies have faced criticism for not doing enough to root out potentially violent nationalists in their ranks. This issue is particularly sensitive in Germany, where awareness of Nazi atrocities during World War II, including the Holocaust, remains strong, but antisemitic crimes by far-right supporters have been increasing.
The domestic intelligence agency reported last year that less than 1% of Germany's police force, security agencies, and military personnel held far-right worldviews. The report was part of a broader inquiry into far-right extremism in the civil service.
Prosecutors in Frankfurt stated that police searched six locations in Hesse, including police headquarters where some suspects had worked. Three of the 20 suspects are being investigated for possible attempts to obstruct justice. Nineteen of the suspects were active police officers when the investigation was launched in April.
