The German city of Leipzig has offered members of the public 100,000 euros to positively identify violent far-left Antifa extremists following a wave of attacks in the city.
The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) of Saxony, along with the city’s public prosecutor, announced the reward this week with the LKA stating it would be solely for private individuals and not offered to law enforcement officials, Bild reports.
The amount is the largest amount ever offered to the public since the reign of terror and murders committed by the far-left extremist Red Army Faction (RAF), also known as the Baader–Meinhof Gang, in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s.
The LKA is calling on any witnesses who may know the identities of the far-left extremists, those who may have seen suspicious vehicles in the area of the far-left attacks, and those with any other information to come forward for a possible reward.
The cash reward comes after several attacks in the city by far-left Antifa extremists on construction sites, including an arson attack on a luxury apartment project that resulted in around 10 million euros worth of damages.
Antifa extremists are also thought to be responsible for breaking into the apartment of a real estate company employee connected with the construction project and viciously beating her in her own home.
Authorities in the cities of Bautzen and Rodewisch have also offered cash rewards totalling 12,500 euros for information on similar arson attacks on construction companies.
The region of Saxony announced the formation of a Special Commission on left-wing extremism (Soko LinX) this week to tackle the rise of left-wing attacks, of which there have been 305 this year — compared to 222 in 2018.
The German capital of Berlin also saw Antifa violence directed at police last weekend when extremists threw paving stones and other projectiles at officers during a protest against the eviction of leftist activists from illegal squats within apartments in the city, injuring multiple officers.