An honor guard stands at the coffin of murdered German politician Walter Lübcke at his memorial service | Sean Gallup/Getty Images Two more arrests in Germany over murder of politician Authorities say they believe the men helped supply weapon to the murder suspect, knowing he had extreme right-wing views.

BERLIN — German police arrested two men Thursday accused of being accessories to the murder of a regional politician, saying the pair knew the suspected killer had "extreme right-wing views."

Prosecutors said they believe that one man sold the gun that was ultimately used to kill conservative politician Walter Lübcke, while the other man provided contacts for the sale to the murder suspect, identified as Stephan E. According to German media reports, Stephan E. has confessed to killing Lübcke, a 65-year-old member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, who had received death threats after speaking out in favor of welcoming refugees.

Authorities on Thursday searched the two new suspects' homes in the state of Hesse, where Lübcke lived, and in the nearby city of Höxter, North Rhine-Westphalia. Investigators seized five weapons that had been buried in the soil near where one of the suspects worked.

Prosecutors say the suspect identified as Elmar J., 64, sold Stephan E. what they believe was the murder weapon in 2016 and Markus H., 43, had put them in touch. Authorities don't believe either man were part of, or knew about, the plans to kill Lübcke, nor do they believe the three had formed an extremist or terror group.

But a spokesman for Germany’s chief federal prosecutor said the two others “knew of Stephan E.’s extreme right-wing views” and knew the weapons could be used for a politically-motivated act.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer on Thursday presented the latest statistics on extremism in the country, saying he was "extremely concerned" about the high number of people on the extreme far right.

For the fourth year in a row, the number of estimated right-wing extremists increased, with now up to 24,100 people, according to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. About half — 12,700 — are classified as violent.

"At the moment, right-wing extremism is immensely dangerous," Seehofer said.