German man jailed for anti-migrant gun sales
December 19, 2018
A German court on Tuesday sentenced a far-right activist to prison for the illegal sale of 167 weapons on an anti-immigrant website.
Mario R., whose last name was not given in line with German privacy laws, was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison and had €99,100 ($112,287) confiscated for illicit trafficking in firearms.
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The 35-year-old German national ran a website called "Migrantenschreck," which roughly translates as "Scourge of Migrants." The website urged people to "arm themselves against refugees."
The portal sold gas-powered pistols that fire high-velocity rubber bullets, crossbows, rubber ammunition and similar weapons. It also featured a ticker on sensationalist anti-immigrant stories.
On the website, men in tutorial videos were seen using the weapons to destroy cardboard cutouts of migrants and leading German politicians, including Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"Protect yourself and your family," proclaimed the now-defunct site.
According to the indictment, Mario R. sold the guns from Hungary to buyers in Germany between May and November 2016. The weapons were legal in Hungary but required a permit in Germany.
Mario R. admitted to the crime, but maintained that he was not aware of German law. He can still appeal the verdict and was allowed to leave the court so long as he reports to police.
The judge said that the defendant had used racist sentiments "in a particularly insidious way."
He was arrested in Budapest in 2016 on a European arrest warrant.
cw/aw (AFP, AP, dpa)