Authorities conducted searches across five German states to probe ongoing support for the banned extremist group Artgemeinschaft, targeting 15 suspects.

The operation began early Thursday, with searches centered in Saxony-Anhalt and also extending to Berlin, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Executing agencies include the Landeskriminalamt Sachsen-Anhalt, focusing on potential ongoing activity of Artgemeinschaft as per ARD information.

The report is a teaser for a Spiegel Plus subscription piece offering deeper details.

Spiegel previously documented the Ipse gathering with ceremonial elements and Nazi-associated songs; Lansmann denies illegality and distances himself from Artgemeinschaft and its songs.

Experts describe the group as a völkisch combat association centered on racism and Germanic cults, a characterization used in scholarly work from 2019.

Analysts warn that far-right networks could gain influence around regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, highlighting the role of civil society and independent journalism in countering such movements.

Private contacts with Artgemeinschaft members were not illegal before the ban, but the Sonnenwendefeier sparked suspicions of violating the ban, triggering the raids.

AfD candidate Simon Lansmann is reportedly married to a woman linked to Artgemeinschaft, illustrating close personal ties to the group.

The investigation also touches two AfD Saxony-Anhalt politicians who attended the June Sonnenwendefeier in Gardelegen; the party's comment was initially unavailable.

The piece situates the case within broader concerns about ties between certain AfD actors in Saxony-Anhalt and other far-right groups, including the historically banned HDJ.

The report notes that extremist ideas persist within segments of the AfD-Saxony-Anhalt and warns about individuals with past affiliation to the 2009 banished HDJ.