A five-part audio series that examines the rise of a new brand of extremism in Germany.
A German soldier, a faked Syrian identity and a loaded gun in an airport bathroom cracked the door open to a network of far-right extremists inside the German military and the police. It’s a story about a changing national identity — and the backlash against it — raising a question that democracies across the world are waking up to: What happens when the threat is coming from within?
Listen to the series below, and read the transcripts by clicking on the icon to the right of the audio player. For more information on the series, visit nytimes.com/dayx.
Part 1: Shadow Army?
In January 2017, a maintenance worker discovered a loaded gun in a bathroom in the Vienna airport. After setting a trap, the police arrest its owner, a German military officer who turns out to be part of a nationwide network of far-right extremists.
Part 2: In the Stomach
A German military official who was part of a network of far-right extremists planned to assassinate prominent politicians and activists. To understand the extremism still lurking in Germany’s shadows, The Times talked to two of his alleged targets.
Released on June 3, 2021.
Part 3: Blind Spot 2.0
Germany has a blind spot when it comes to the far right. In the early 2000s, a neo-Nazi terror group went on a killing spree, mostly targeting Turkish immigrants. How did they manage to escape justice for more than a decade?
Released on June 10, 2021.
Part 4: Franco A.
A German military officer was the first active duty soldier to be tried for terrorism in Germany since World War II. Over the course of a year, The Times interviewed him several times about the plot to assassinate prominent politicians and activists.
Released on June 16, 2021.
Part 5: Defensive Democracy
The problem of far-right infiltration in the German military and police is far greater than it seemed. One of those threats is Alternative for Germany, widely known by its German initials AfD. Germany is trying to address the threats.
Released on June 24, 2021.