A GERMAN soldier has been charged with planning "false flag attacks" to inflame a race war after an earlier case against him was dropped.

The man, an army lieutenant known as Franco Hans A, was arrested in April along with two suspected accomplices and has been charged by federal prosecutors with planning an act of violence and violations of weapons and explosives laws.

More serious charges of plotting a terrorist attack were dismissed by the German criminal court last month after a lack of evidence.

He planned to attack those he accused of sympathising with refugees including German Justice Minister Heiko Maas, Greens politician Claudia Roth and former president Joachim Gauck.

The arrest of Mr Franco A has rocked Germany with a wide-ranging investigation into 275 far-right sympathisers in the country's armed forces. 

The German Defence Ministry probe earlier this year discovered nazi-era memorabilia, including posters and munitions, in army barracks.  

It found soldiers performing nazi salutes and abusing servicemen from minority ethnic backgrounds.

In a statement, prosecutors said: “Motivated by a nationalist attitude, he planned to carry out an attack at an unknown time on high-ranking politicians and public figures who stood up for what the accused regarded as an especially refugee-friendly policy.

“He wanted people to believe that his attacks were related to radical Islamist terrorism committed by somebody who had been granted asylum.”

Mr Franco A had stockpiled firearms, 1,000 rounds of ammunition and 50 explosive devices, some of which had been taken from military storage.

He planned to pose as an undocumented refugee and claim benefits while living in a hostel for several months.

The far-right has seen a resurgence in Germany with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) winning seats in parliament for the first time in September's election.