BERLIN

German authorities uncovered a cache of hundreds of automatic weapons and military equipment hidden in secret rooms at an auto repair shop in the western city of Remscheid, officials said Wednesday.

Prosecutor Wolf-Tilman Baumert said officials discovered an additional weapons cache during Wednesday's searches, containing military-grade weapons, firearms, ammunition, and explosives.

Most of the weapons – some dating back to World War II – had been repaired and were fully functional, officials said. The rooms also contained pistols, grenades, mines, and anti-tank weapons.

Police arrested the shop owner, identified as Konstantin I., age 59, during Sunday night's raid. He is suspected of being an illegal arms dealer with international connections and remains in custody as the main suspect, along with two others.

According to newsmagazine Der Spiegel, Konstantin I. had no previous police record and had not been flagged for right-wing extremist views. However, investigators found Nazi era flags and Hitler portraits in the repair shop basement. No connections to the Reichsburger movement – a far-right group that rejects the legitimacy of the German state – have been established.