Germany admits hundreds of neo-Nazis at large despite arrest warrants being issued

More than 450 alleged neo-Nazis are thought to be wanted across country

A concert attendee is searched by police ahead of the far-right event in the central German town of Apolda on Saturday (AFP)

Hundreds of neo-Nazis are at large throughout Germany despite active arrest warrants for them, it has been reported.

The number of people wanted for being neo-Nazis has doubled in the last four years with a total of 467 neo-Nazis are currently free in Germany, the government has admitted.

The figures were provided in response to a parliamentary request for information by the opposition party in Germany, according to Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.

Of the 467 suspects, more than a quarter are wanted for a violent crime.

“The security authorities must finally come up with a way to get hold of fugitive Nazis faster,” Die Linke MP Ulla Jelpke told the newspaper.

The German government has claimed one of the reasons for the increase was the influx of refused in the country.

There has been an increased presence of the far-right in Germany in recent years and on the weekend officers were forced to shut down a far-right music concert after members of the audience began chanting a Nazi slogan in Ostritz, a town in the eastern state of Saxony.

“Two far-right bands played in front of several hundred participants," Saxony police said in a statement.

"Around 11.20pm, the policemen guarding the event heard 'Sieg Heil' chants. Several locals also reported to police about it."

“Sieg Heil” is a Nazi-era greeting meaning “hail victory”.