The mayor of a town in western Germany has applied for a gun license to protect himself after receiving far-Right threats, it has emerged.
The case comes amid growing concern over the threat of violence from the far-Right in Germany.
The mayor involved has not come forward publicly and the case only emerged from official court papers in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Details remain sketchy but according to local press reports the town has a known far-Right problem and the mayor has been the targets of threats and “hostile behaviour”.
“The mayor of a municipality requests permission to acquire, own and carry weapons because of a particular risk situation,” an announcement of a hearing in the regional capital, Düsseldorf, reads.
Germany has tough gun laws and licenses are generally only granted to registered hunters and professional marksmen.
Although it is possible to request a license for self-protection, the bar is set very high. Applicants are allowed to remain anonymous.
“Personally, I don’t think much of private individuals or office-holders arming themselves,” Herbert Reul, the regional interior minister, told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
“If there is evidence of danger, all necessary measures are taken. Those affected can contact the police at any time.”
Last year saw a sharp rise in far-Right violence in Germany. A prominent politician from Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU) was shot dead outside his home in a suspected far-Right attack in June.
In a separate incident in October, a massacre was narrowly averted when a far-Right gunman failed to break into a packed synagogue in the east German city of Halle.
Authorities in the city of Dresden announced a “Nazi emergency” the same month, saying they were struggling to cope with far-Right and racist activity.