Alternative for Germany party expelled from European Parliament grouping

Maximilian Krah of the Alternative for Germany party (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

A German party set for big gains in upcoming European elections suffered another setback on Thursday when it was expelled from a right-wing group in the European Parliament.

The Identity and Democracy group decided to expel Alternative for Germany (AfD) from the group with immediate effect, the Italian La Lega party, a member of the group, said in a statement.