The German army has ordered a thorough search in barracks after Nazi-era items to root out potential right-wing extremism, Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) reported on Sunday.
The German army was required to complete the search before Tuesday and deliver a report before May 16. It was aimed to clear all the old objects of "Nazi-regime's army and National Socialism", according to the German Defense Ministry.
The order came a day after some Nazi-regime's army items, placed for worship, were found at a border garrison in Donauschingen, southwestern Germany, including a set of the World War II era machine gun MG-42 and a pistol.
German inspector therefore demanded a wider search of all barracks following the incident, fearing the memorabilia might spread Nazi ideas.
Possession of Nazi-era weapons is not punishable under German law. But Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen insisted on a zero-tolerance attitude for such behaviors.
"We are training people with weapons. It is right that there are higher standards for us. A 'carry on' attitude is out of the question," said Von der Leyen.
The German army has been paying extra attention on the psychology and ideology status of their soldiers, since a scandal exposed by media that a 28-year-old lieutenant, identified as Franco A., had allegedly plotted a xenophobic attack.
