Police in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate discovered a significant stash of firearms and ammunition near a major roadway, though investigators currently lack information regarding the source or purpose of the cache. The find was reported on Monday in Speyer, near a parking area.
According to authorities in Ludwigshafen, the depot contained multiple rifles, shotguns, pistols, a submachine gun, and a flare gun, along with several thousand rounds of ammunition for various weapons. No suspects have been identified at this time.
In related national news, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has departed for the United States to hold discussions with his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon. The meeting is expected to focus on defense cooperation, including Germany’s recent order for US-made F-35 stealth fighters to replace its aging Tornado aircraft. Pistorius plans to visit Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday for the official handover of the first jets.
Additional topics on the agenda may include plans to produce guided missiles for Patriot air defense systems within Germany and a preliminary agreement reached in July to purchase Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US.
Meanwhile, Berlin state prosecutors have charged a 35-year-old woman with supporting the Islamic State (IS). Prosecutors allege she traveled to Syria in December 2014, joined the group alongside her husband in Manbij, and later recruited another woman in Berlin to join the militants. After escaping a camp near Iraq in 2019 and living in Turkey under a false identity until April 2026, she was arrested upon returning to Berlin Airport. She had previously expressed willingness to participate in suicide attacks.
As these events unfold, a new poll indicates that the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) remains the strongest party in Germany, reflecting ongoing concerns about the rise of the far right.
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