Hundreds of neo-Nazis evade arrest in Germany

Close to 500 right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis are successfully evading arrest in Germany, according to information provided by the Interior Ministry.

At the end of September, 467 right-wing extremists were being sought under an arrest warrant, with 108 of them wanted in relation to politically motivated crimes, the ministry said in response to a parliamentary question from left-wing party Die Linke.

The figures show a clear rise between 2014 and 2016. In September 2017, 501 cases of this sort were registered, the number falling to 457 in March this year.

Around a quarter of those being sought are known to the security authorities as perpetrators of violent crime. Some are known to have gone abroad, with Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Italy being among the destinations.

"The security authorities must now come up with some ideas to get hold of these fugitive Nazis more quickly," Ulla Jelpke, Linke spokeswoman on the interior, said.

She said the numbers presented an "alarming sign that the Nazi scene is violent and criminal and remains so."