"Far-right extremism and anti-Semitism do not have a place in our society," an interior ministry spokesman said on Twitter as justification for the ban on the group's German chapter.
Bundesinnenminister #Seehofer hat „Combat 18 Deutschland“ verboten. Seit den frühen Morgenstunden laufen in sechs Bundesländern polizeiliche Maßnahmen. #Rechtsextremismus und #Antisemitismus haben in unserer Gesellschaft keinen Platz.
— Steve Alter (@BMISprecher) January 23, 2020
He added that raids against its members were underway in six states.
German authorities have long kept a close eye on the group, which although believed to have only about 20 members, are considered to be willing to commit violent acts.
READ ALSO: German ministers demand ban on far-right group
The neo-Nazi sympathiser suspected of having killed a municipal official for his pro-migrant positions was found to have had contacts with Combat 18.
Combat 18 was founded in Britain in 1992 and the number in its name stands for the first and eight letters of the alphabet -- the initials of Adolf Hitler.
The group's motto includes the phrase: "Whatever it takes".
The ban of the group comes amid a resurgence of racist and anti-Semitic attacks that has prompted questions over how the German state combats right-wing extremism.
In October, two people were killed in an attempted anti-Semitic attack on a synagogue in the town of Halle in eastern Germany.
Several high-profile German politicians have also reported receiving death threats from far-right groups in recent months.Â
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