Germany: Lubcke murder suspect became right-wing extremist in 1980s says intel agency boss

W/S German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer [2nd from left], President of the Federal Criminal Police Office Holger Muench [3rd from left], and President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution Thomas Haldenwang [R] seated for a press conference in Berlin
M/S Sign bearing seal and name of German Interior Ministry
SOT, Horst Seehofer, German Interior Minister (German): "We have to take right wing extremism, we have to take anti-semitism very, very damned seriously."
W/S Press conference
SOT, Horst Seehofer, German Interior Minister (German): "It is about an attack against all of us, against this liberal state. This is a new quality and some have already commented on it - it is about the protection of freedom."
M/S Panel
SOT, Horst Seehofer, German Interior Minister (German): "Because you are here from the 'Spiegel' - [I would like to] use the opportunity to tell you and to ask you to let your editors know, that no one in this house plans any kind of paragraph or an initiative, a never before seen attack on humanity or civil rights. Period."
M/S Journalist, out of frame, asks question (German) *UPSOUND*: "Has the murder weapon been found? Do you have any findings in addition?"
SOT, Holger Muench, President of the Federal Criminal Police Office (German): "The weapon used in the crime hasn't been found yet. No gun has been found during the investigation, therefore the investigation continues."
M/S Panel
SOT, Thomas Haldenwang, President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (German): "The perpetrator has begun a career in right-wing extremism in the late 80s, if I may say so, and since then has been part of the right wing extremist sphere, has conducted right extreme motivated crimes and therefore he has been on the radar of the intelligence Services since this time frame. But we were also able to see that he didn't come to the surface in recent years compared to the first years in the 80s and 90s, so that he was stepped in the background of our surveillance.""
M/S Panel
SOT, Thomas Haldenwang, President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (German): "Regarding the dimension of the threat of right [wing] extremism, we are not able to say to that degree, that we control this threat completely."
M/S Seehofer and officials standing to leave as conference concludes
W/S Press conference concluding
W/S Press conference concluding
SCRIPT
The head of Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Thomas Haldenwang, said that the man suspected of murdering CDU politician Walter Lubcke, "begun a career in right-wing extremism in the late 80s," while speaking at a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
The suspect has "since then has been part of the right wing extremist sphere, has conducted right extreme motivated crimes and therefore he has been on the radar of the intelligence services since this time frame," Haldenwang added.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer emphasised that "We have to take right wing extremism, we have to take anti-semitism very, very damned seriously."
"It is about an attack against all of us, against this liberal state. This is a new quality and some have already commented on it - it is about the protection of freedom," Seehofer added.
Lubcke, the head of the regional council in the central city of Kassel, was found lying on the terrace of his home in Istha on June 2, and announced dead two hours later.
According to the autopsy, Lubcke was killed by a bullet shot at close range. The 65-year old had reportedly been receiving death threats, in a possible interrelation with his pro-migrant views.
On Saturday, special police units arrested a 45-year-old man in relation to the killing in Kassel.
The head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Muench, confirmed that "The weapon used in the crime hasn't been found yet. No gun has been found during the investigation, therefore the investigation continues."