German investigators seize grenades, a crossbow from home of suspected anti-government extremist

German investigators said Friday that they seized weapons, including three hand grenades and a crossbow, from the home of a suspected anti-government extremist that was searched as part of a hate speech probe.

Prosecutors said the 55-year-old from Munich, who is believed to be an adherent of the far-right Reich Citizens’ Movement, was arrested. Its supporters deny the legitimacy of the present-day German constitution and government, claiming instead that the German empire, or Reich, of 1871 still exists.

He was being investigated on suspicion of endorsing crimes and disparaging the memory of the dead. That was because of an alleged Twitter post last year approving of the fatal shooting of two police officers in western Germany in January 2022 when they stopped two men suspected of poaching.

Munich prosecutors said that, when the suspect’s apartment was searched on Thursday, they found weapons including several knives and clubs, a crossbow, a semiautomatic pistol, thousands of rounds of ammunition and three hand grenades.