Police search home of AfD candidate’s assistant in Berlin

German police searched the home of a personal assistant to Kristin Brinker, the lead candidate of the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Berlin, amid suspicions of illegal weapons possession.

The search was carried out on September 15 in Berlin’s Lichterfelde district under a court-authorised warrant. According to the Berlin public prosecutor’s office, the investigation was based on suspected violations of Germany’s explosives and weapons laws.

No weapons or explosives supporting the original allegations were found during the search. However, investigators seized other items as so-called incidental findings, whose potential criminal relevance will now be assessed following forensic examination. German media reported that the items included drugs and Nazi memorabilia.

According to reports, the drugs were hidden inside the sleeve of a vinyl record purchased at a flea market.

Brinker said she had no reason to suspect her assistant of having radical views, describing him as a collector.

“I had never had any indication that he was inclined in that direction. He is simply a collector,” Brinker was quoted as saying.

The AfD’s Berlin spokesman Ronald Gläser described the case as a “private matter” and said the party would await the outcome of the investigation.

The election to Berlin’s House of Representatives is scheduled for September 20.

By Tamilla Hasanova