The neo-Nazi group Combat 18 has been banned in Germany as part of a crackdown on right-wing extremism following the assassination of a political official.

Interior minister Horst Seehofer announced the move as state police raided the homes of leading members of the organisation, which has spread around the world since it was founded in the UK in 1992.

“Today’s ban is a clear message,” said Mr Seehofer. “Right-wing extremism and antisemitism have no place in our society!”

Explaining his decision, the minister directly referred to last year’s murder of Walter Lübcke, an official in Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, the shooting at a synagogue in Halle and a series of murders by the “National Socialist Underground”.

He said in a statement that the incidents “have shown us brutally that right-wing extremism and antisemitism are a significant danger to our free society”.

The ban on Combat 18 would ”effectively protect our free democratic basic order and our value system”, he added.

Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Show all 24 1 /24 Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police officers secure a synagogue in Halle. At least two people have been killed in the shootings at multiple locations in Germany AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos A man shots from a long-barreled gun ATV Studio Halle/Reuters TV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos A police tank patrols at a crime scene near the Synagogue. The attack came during Yom Kippur, a Jewish religious festival that sees observers fast and pray at synagogues to atone for sins. EPA Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos The shooter walking in Halle ATV Studio Halle/Reuters TV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos One victim's body was in the street outside the synagogue, while another victim was said to have been shot at a nearby kebab shop dpa via AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Policemen climb over a wall close to the site of a shooting in Halle dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos The shooting took place in the eastern German city of Halle, with the incident taking place on Humboldtstrasse, which houses a synagogue and Jewish cemetery Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Synagogue's in over parts of Germany had a police officer presence, including Dresden AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Local reports said one of the victims was killed outside a kebab shop around 600m away, where witnesses told Focus the assailant was wearing a helmet mounted with a camera, and wearing combat fatigues dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police officer runs on a road in Halle dpa via AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police guard a crime scene EPA Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Bullet casings after the shooting Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police officers block a road AP Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos A spokesperson for the local Jewish community told Der Spiegel that up to 80 worshippers were inside the synagogue at the time, but security measures at the synagogue's entrance "withstood the attack" Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Policemen walk through a street close to the site of a shooting dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Policemen climb over a wall close to the site of a shooting in Halle an der Saale, eastern Germany, on October 9, 2019. - At least two people were killed in a shooting on a street in the German city of Halle, police said, adding that the perpetrators were on the run. "Early indications show that two people were killed in Halle. Several shots were fired. The suspected perpetrators fled in a car," said police on Twitter, urging residents in the area to stay indoors. (Photo by Sebastian Willnow / dpa / AFP) / Germany OUT (Photo by SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/dpa/AFP via Getty Images) SEBASTIAN WILLNOW dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police secures the area after a shooting in the eastern German city of Halle on October 9, 2019. REUTERS/Marvin Gaul. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES STRINGER Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police secure the area Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos A police officer walks onto the street at the scene of a fatal shooting in Halle Nonstopnews/Reuters TV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Germany synagogue shooting - Multiple people dead as gunman on run in Halle MZTV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police block the area around the site of the shooting dpa/AFP/Getty Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos First responders attend to the scene Nonstopnews/Reuters TV Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police gather Reuters Germany synagogue shooting: Halle attack in photos Police secures the area after a shooting in the eastern German city of Halle on October 9, 2019. REUTERS/Marvin Gaul. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES STRINGER Reuters

In the early hours of Thursday morning police seized weapons, Nazi memorabilia and propaganda materials during searches of properties in six federal states, including Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. A total of 210 state officers were involved in the operation.

The interior ministry said “Combat 18 Germany” were mostly active in the sale of extremist merchandise, the distribution of antisemitic music and the organisation of far-right concerts.

However members of the group were convicted of illegally transporting ammunition to Germany from the Czech Republic in September 2017.

The last time the federal law was used to ban a right-wing extremist group was in February 2016 against the neo-Nazi “White Wolves Terror Crew”.

Germany has increasingly sought to tackle right-wing extremism in recent years, amid rising concern over the growth of support for anti-immigration movements such as Pegida and Alternative for Germany​ (AfD).

Mr Lübcke, a conservative politician known for his pro-migrant views, was shot dead at his home near the German city of Kassel in June last year. Suspect Stephan Ernst, who is said to be a far-right extremist, still awaits trial.