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NAZI

Neo-Nazis ‘part of violent German-Swedish network’

Three Swedes suspected of involvement in a violent attack on left wing activists in Germany last weekend are part of a network of German and Swedish neo-Nazi groups, according to German media.

A report in Der Spiegel this weekend says one of the suspects was once among the leaders of ‘Blood and Honour Scandinavia’, part of an international network of neo- Nazis.

Ralf Mohrmann from the Gera state prosecutor which is leading the investigation, said that an arrest warrant has been issued for one of the three Swedes on the bus involved in the attack.

All 41 passengers on the bus are being investigated on possible assault and trespass charges.

The German police stopped the bus – which had been hired by a German member of the NPD – after the attack on the trade unionists. The trade unionists and the fascists had been demonstrating on opposing sides in Dresden on the anniversary of the World War II allied bombing of the city.

But the magazine reports that, although the names and addresses of all those aboard were taken, they were allowed to continue their journey as the extent of the injuries sustained in the attack had not yet become apparent.

A 42-year-old man from northern Hesse is reported to have suffered a fractured skull and had to be operated on. Four others were also injured, some seriously.

German security sources told the magazine that Swedish extremists had close connections to the ‘Action Office Rhein-Neckar’ which links neo-Nazi groups from south Hesse, Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg.

GERMANY

Germany cracks down on fake Covid vaccine documents

German police have set up a special team to fight a growing number of forged vaccine certificates being sold in the black market

Germany cracks down on fake Covid vaccine documents
People who are fully vaccinated can show their vaccination booklet, which has a stamp and a sticker inside. Photo: Ina FASSBENDER / AFP

Police in Cologne have warned of a group of fraudsters selling fake vaccination certificates, a growing problem the scale of which is still unclear.

The police said the fraudsters worked in encrypted Telegram chats, making investigations difficult, and were selling fake documents with all the stamps and signatures, including a mark about vaccination with BioNTech or AstraZeneca.

READ ALSO: Germany probes Covid-19 testing centres for fraud

The fraud involved both real traffic in fake documents as well as scams luring customers into paying €100.

People in Germany who are fully vaccinated can show their vaccination booklet, which has a stamp and a sticker inside. Those who don’t have a booklet get a piece of paper.

Covid health passes are currently being rolled out across the EU, with a European health passport expected to be available from mid-June.

READ ALSO: What’s the latest on how the EU’s ‘Covid passports’ will work for travellers?

Over 44% of the adult population in Germany has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and more than 18% of Germans have been fully vaccinated.

German police have said forged coronavirus vaccine documents are becoming an increasing problem.

Last month, a couple in Baden-Württemberg was accused of selling fake coronavirus vaccination certificates.

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