Germany bans Combat 18 as police raid neo-Nazi group

Germany has banned the neo-Nazi group Combat 18 and launched raids across the country in an attempt to crack down on the organisation, officials say.

“Right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism have no place in our society”, Germany’s interior ministry said.

Combat 18 takes its name from the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s initials, referencing the first and eighth letters of the alphabet.

The group originated in the UK in the 1990s but spread to other countries.

On Thursday, more than 200 police officers searched several properties belonging to leading members across six German states, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said in a statement.