Austrian police have carried out another search of properties belonging to Martin Sellner, leader of the Austrian neo-Nazi organization Identity Movement, as part of their investigations into his connections with Brenton Tarrant, the shooter who killed more than 50 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Sellner is under investigation for forming a terrorist and “structurally fascist” organisation with Tarrant, according to Austrian police.
The authorities linked the two subjects for the first time in March after it became known that Tarrant had made a donation of 1,500 euros to Sellner’s Identity Movement. According to the warrant used by police to carry out the search, which Sellner showed in a Youtube video afterwards, the investigators were looking for “accounting records” and evidence of further donations from Tarrant to Sellner.
“Today at 07.00 again the police stood at the door with a search warrant. A private room of mine and another apartment were searched,” Sellner tweeted on the day of the search.
“Cell phone and media seized again.”
Sellner had at first downplayed the connection between him and Tarrant and denounced the Christchurch terrorist attack on his Youtube channel.
However, last month, authorities revealed that the contacts between them were more extensive than previously thought, involving friendly email exchanges in which Sellner invited Tarrant to meet in person if he ever came to Austria.
In May Tarrant was charged with carrying out a terrorist act, adding to the 40 counts of murder and 50 counts of attempted murder that he had previously been charged with.
Sellner’s Identitäre Bewegung Österreichs (IBÖ) is part of a larger far-right Identitarian movement with branches in most western European countries, North America and New Zealand. Sellner denies any connection with the events in Christchurch or with Brenton Tarrant.
