They are teenagers, or young adults barely over the age of 20, but above all, far-right radicals who dream of “Day X,” the day it all begins, the day they will massacre immigrants. Germans who go to school, attend training programs, or work — far removed from the neo-Nazi stereotype of skinheads in bomber jackets — and who then immerse themselves in far-right extremist movements that speak of a “pure people,” downplay the Holocaust, and hate migrants, but now also direct their anger at feminists and the LGBTQ+ community. German investigative journalist Angelique Geray, 33, decided to infiltrate these groups between 2024 and 2025 to understand how they become radicalized. “I wanted to find out why right-wing extremism is once again presenting itself as a kind of cult or youth trend,” she explained earlier this month in a cafe in southern Berlin after publishing her experience in a book titled Undercover unter Nazis (Undercover Among Nazis).
Authorities have been warning about this phenomenon for some time. Right-wing extremists use forums and platforms like Telegram, Instagram, and TikTok to recruit new, increasingly younger followers, whom they invite to private chat groups. Intelligence services warn of a new generation of neo-Nazis, and in 2025 they registered more than 5,300 young people — mostly between the ages of 14 and 17 — who allegedly committed far-right-motivated crimes.
This isn’t the first time Geray has infiltrated these circles. She did so in 2018 with the so-called Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich) movement, which rejects the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany and whose leaders were arrested in 2022 for plotting a coup. It was then that she developed her cover identity, that of Isabell, “a young woman with an inner resentment, who is dissatisfied with Germany.” Under that name, she later infiltrated the Identitäre Bewegung (Identity Movement) and, in 2024, the Junge Nationalisten (Young Nationalists, JN) and Letzte Verteidigungswelle (Last Wave of Defense, LVW), a group that surprised her because of the youth of its members and the violent acts they intended to carry out, which the journalist ultimately exposed.
“What I’ve observed during this time is that many, especially the very young ones, are precisely seeking recognition. It’s about — first and foremost — belonging to these groups and also being valued. These groups always have a very hierarchical structure,” Geray explains. This is the case, for example, with LVW, where there are positions such as Gauleiter — as the Nazis called the heads of each zone — head of the Gestapo, or Minister of Propaganda. Meanwhile, many of the approximately 60 members, aged between 14 and 21, address the founder as their Führer.
Once inside the group, they are incited to action; words alone are not enough. “Everyone wants to move up the ladder. And in these groups, advancement is achieved by planning or even carrying out particularly spectacular acts. From setting fire to mailboxes and painting swastikas on houses, to setting fire to the homes of political opponents; they even went so far as to hatch a plan to burn down a refugee center,” Geray recounts about experiences she later shared in a podcast, a documentary for the RTL network, and now also in a book.
As she explains, one can only be a member of the Young Nationalists (JN) if they are 100% European and at least 50% German. They recruit people between the ages of 15 and 35, reaching them through social media, but also through leisure activities such as boxing, concerts, and excursions.
“With the JN, I had to fill out an old-fashioned form with a photo, my address, and my bank account number to pay a membership fee. In the case of LVW, the contact was made through TikTok. Then we moved to WhatsApp, and there they sent me a series of questions like: “Why have you become right-wing? What do you want to do for Germany?”
They immediately sent her videos of young people wearing balaclavas in a room full of weapons. “And they explained to me that it was about preparing for Day X, for situations similar to a civil war, in which they go out into the streets with the intention of killing immigrants.” In fact, one of their rules stipulated that they had to equip themselves with “knives, brass knuckles, starter pistols, firecrackers, and so on, in order to be more radical.”
“Sieg Heil Kameradin!” they greeted Isabell in the chat groups where they also reported on events and actions of all kinds, and shared addresses of those they consider enemies. “We should pay this one a visit. Who has time next week?”
She thus immersed herself in a world where people drove cars with license plates like AH 204: AH for Adolf Hitler and 204 for his birthday, April 20. In March 2025, she even attended a secret neo-Nazi training camp organized by JN. No one suspected a thing. She also ventured onto dating platforms like White Date. “I wanted to know how it works when neo-Nazis go out looking for love,” she recounts. For a year and a half, she met with different men. “Many would start the conversation by saying, ‘You want to have four children, don’t you?’” They made it clear that her time would be for the family and that she would have to obey the man.
She went everywhere accompanied by a security team that kept a distance, and equipped with a hidden camera whenever possible. Little by little, she gained the trust of those she spoke with and was able to see how young people become radicalized at “a dizzying speed.” “Many join because they feel terribly alone; they have hardly any leisure activities in their rural surroundings, and when they do, these come precisely from far-right groups.”
Members come from diverse backgrounds. “What surprised me most, actually, is that these young people are serious. The argument often comes up that, well, they’re young and they’re not serious. But I’m convinced that if even young people fantasize about something like a race war and are willing to commit such brutal acts, then it has to be taken seriously,” Geray maintains.
Furthermore, these groups do not hold a favorable opinion of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which came in second place in the last election, behind the conservatives. “When I’ve asked about the AfD, they’ve described it as a kind of ‘useful idiot.’ The party and its leaders are despised, but they are strategically used to gradually shift the boundaries of what can be said further to the right, so that, at some point, even more extremist parties can emerge,” the journalist explains.
After months undercover, in May 2025, the situation turned dangerous when she crossed the Czech border with LVW members to buy so-called “spherical bombs” — extremely dangerous, large fireworks banned in Germany — which, as she was later told, they planned to use to attack a refugee center. It was then that she decided to go to the police, who carried out raids and arrested eight young people aged between 15 and 22 on charges of, among other things, belonging to a terrorist organization, attempted murder, and arson. Their trial began in March, and last week, Geray testified. “I was so nervous I felt terrible,” she recalls.
At first, they didn’t know who had betrayed them, but now they do. After the investigation, she decided to come forward. “I didn’t want to give them the opportunity to expose me,” something she believes would have been only a matter of time. “Most people were taken by surprise,” but there were also those who didn’t take it well, like one member of LVW. “He swore revenge. He contacted me with a letter and said he regretted bringing me into the group. He’s taking the blame and vowing to kill me. He says he’ll find someone outside to do it.” She now moves “a little more carefully” and has bought a baseball bat. “I keep it by my bed. I hope I never have to use it. But, in general, I’m trying not to let this affect my day-to-day life.”
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