Trial over secret weapons arsenal in Remscheid begins at Wuppertal Regional Court

The investigations had gotten rolling after undercover officers had arranged an alleged weapons purchase at a kiosk in Remscheid. Through this staged purchase, the main defendant came onto the police's radar. Subsequently, around 200 officers searched the suspect's property for several days. In doing so, the investigators first came across an extensive private museum with militaria and legal decorative weapons from the period of disarmament, before they stumbled upon three additional weapons chambers behind built-in walls. „Dahinter waren dann die illegalen Sachen“, Senior Public Prosecutor Wolf-Tilman Baumert explained.

The seized arsenal

In the hidden rooms, which were secured with partition walls, concealed doors, and hidden locking mechanisms, the officers found an extensive arsenal. According to the prosecution, they seized a total of around 300 live firearms, including 125 machine guns, 67 submachine guns, 51 pistols, 32 long guns, 11 revolvers, and 13 anti-tank weapons. In addition, there were hand grenades, precision rifles, and almost 100,000 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, the investigators discovered numerous rifles from World War II, as well as ammunition and explosives from that period. In an additional secret room in the basement, whose existence the main defendant revealed, there were 29 machine guns and three anti-tank rifles. Ammunition was also hidden in the cavity of a door frame.

Reactions and further proceedings

„So etwas habe er noch nicht gesehen“, Police President Markus Röhrl said during a visit on site. The Wuppertal prosecutor's office described the find as „nicht weniger als einer der größten Waffenfunde in der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik". Even though the main defendant told the investigators that most of the weapons were his private collection and were not intended for sale, he admitted to having sold individual pieces. The seized live weapons and the pieces described as „antique" rifles are being stored at a secret location. Weapons collectors and other interested parties had already expressed their interest in the finds following the searches.

The investigators also found a workbench and tools in the rooms that could potentially have been used to reactivate decommissioned weapons. So far, only one suspected buyer in Hamm is known. The main defendant is being defended by Remscheid attorney Bernhard Meiski and Wuppertal attorney Esther Kunz; both did not wish to comment before the start of the proceedings. Ten hearing days are scheduled through the end of September. The presumption of innocence applies to the defendants until a final verdict is reached.