Far-right AfD politician held in Germany

A 22-year-old Bavarian politician from the German far-right party AfD has been taken into custody by police, reported dpa.

Daniel Halemba, who was recently elected to the Bavarian state parliament, was apprehended after a warrant was issued for his arrest, a spokesman for the Würzburg public prosecutor's office told dpa on Monday.

Halemba is being investigated for incitement and the use of symbols of anti-constitutional organizations.

He was taken into custody in the Stuttgart area at around 8 am (0700 GMT).

The initial allegations against him had been substantiated by further evaluation of the evidence, the prosecutor's office said. Halemba is to be brought before a judge in Würzburg on Monday or Tuesday at the latest, when he could be ordered to be remanded in custody.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group had itself announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for one of its deputies on Friday. The public prosecutor's office then confirmed that it was Halemba.

He is the youngest politician to be elected to the Bavarian parliament.

Halemba, who lives in Würzburg, could not be found at the weekend, and could not be reached for comment since the arrest warrant was issued. His lawyer, Dubravko Mandic, rejected the allegations in a statement on Saturday evening, insisting there was "no truth in any of the accusations."

Halemba has admitted to being a member of a fraternity in Würzburg whose premises were raided in September. According to the public prosecutor's office, there was suspicion that the fraternity's house might contain objects with signs of the Nazi Party, as well as stickers and literature of a racist nature.

The seized items have meanwhile almost all been evaluated, the authority's spokesperson said on Monday. "The accusations have been substantiated for us," prosecutors said.

In addition to Halemba, the public prosecutor's office is investigating four other members of the Würzburg-based fraternity for incitement of the people and the use of signs of anti-constitutional organizations. The fraternity has not yet commented on the accusations in response to an inquiry from dpa.

Halemba has denied all the accusations against him.

Members of parliament generally enjoy immunity in Germany. However, Halemba's immunity does not take effect until the Bavarian parliament meets on Monday afternoon for the first time since the election.