German police remove neo-Nazis from occupied hotel

Police in the northern German state of Lower Saxony have raided a hotel occupied by neo-Nazis after hearing shots fired on the premises. The search at 'Landhotel Gerhus' in the town of Faßberg near Celle turned up a club, pepper spray and several dummy weapons, but no real firearms, authorities said. At parallel raids of apartments in Hannover and Rotenburg smaller weapons were found, too.

Twelve persons suspected of belonging to the far-right scene were present at the hotel during the raid. Four minors aged 15 to 17 were turned over to youth services. Police maintain surveillance over the hotel to prevent a confrontation between the neo-Nazis, who occupied the building last month, and local residents.

The far-right extremists stormed the building on 17 July on behalf of the Hamburg lawyer and Holocaust denier Jürgen Rieger, who reportedly rented the unused house to turn it into a neo-Nazi training center. But the property's legal administrator claims the extremists have no right to rent the hotel and wants them evicted.

Only hours after the raid, a court ruled the neo-Nazis could be legally removed from the premises.