Another of the left-wing German extremists who violently attacked people with hammers in Budapest was arrested by the police in Berlin. The suspect, who is tied to the German left-wing terror convict Lina E., can now be extradited to Hungary.
The internationally wanted Simeon T., 22 years old, is accused of being involved in the brutal attacks against political opponents in Budapest. The left-wing thugs injured nine people in February, some of them seriously, with the Hungarian press reporting that many of those attacked were a case of mistaken identity and not actual right-wing extremists.
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The man from Thuringia was arrested during a search of an apartment in the capital, while the police also searched apartments in Jena, according to German newspaper Junge Freiheit. The Dresden public prosecutor’s office is in charge of the proceedings, while Hungary has applied for and received a European arrest warrant against Simeon T. on suspicion of dangerous bodily harm.
Last year, one of the leaders of the group, Lina E., was sentenced to five years in prison for her role in a wide variety of brutal attacks on right-wing victims in Germany.
The attackers used hammers, pepper spray and batons to attack people they thought were taking part in an event commemorating the Battle of Budapest in the Second World War. The left-wing extremists were dubbed the “Hammer Gang” in the media as a result.
Video of the attack was published on social media and earned millions of views across platforms. The footage caught the gang viciously attacking a man with hammers; police later stated that the man was a tobacco shop employee and not actually involved in any right-wing demonstrations.
After the scene of the crime, Hungarian police were able to arrest a 29-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman from Berlin. The female suspect has since been given a conditional release, while the man remains in custody. The public prosecutor’s office in Budapest has charged them with serious and life-threatening bodily harm and membership of a criminal organization. The trial is set to begin soon.
The Dresden Public Prosecutor General’s Office has initiated so-called mirror proceedings in Germany regarding the investigations in Hungary and is searching for other fugitive suspects.
Simeon T. was arrested based on a German arrest warrant, while an extradition request from the Hungarian authorities has not yet been received, said a spokesperson for the Dresden authorities.
According to Bild, the 30-year-old Johann Guntermann remains on the run, with Guntermann considered one of the co-leaders of the “Hammer Gang,” along with Lina E. Police say that Guntermann has a “hate cops” tattoo on his knuckles.
