Extremism - Federal prosecutor files charges after "Reichsbürger" raid
Following the large-scale anti-terror raid against so-called Reich citizens around a year ago, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has brought charges for the first time. A total of 27 suspects are involved, as the authorities announced in Karlsruhe on Tuesday. Among other things, they are accused of membership and support of a terrorist organization. The proceedings are to be conducted before the higher regional courts in Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Stuttgart. These must decide whether to admit the charges and schedule a trial.
On December 7 last year, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office had 25 men and women arrested in several federal states, including Thuringia, Saxony and Berlin, as well as in Austria and Italy. Among them were former AfD member of the Bundestag Birgit Malsack-Winkemann and a soldier from the Special Forces Command (KSK) of the German Armed Forces. The businessman Heinrich XIII Prince Reuß is considered one of the ringleaders.
The circle of suspects is much larger and is constantly growing as the investigation progresses. Many of them are in custody.
The suspects are said to have planned to overthrow the political system in Germany. They would have deliberately accepted deaths. They had already worked out the outlines of structures for their own state order, the investigators had explained at the time. Henry XIII Prince Reuss was to have acted as head of state. Departments had also already been allocated: For example, the former judge Malsack-Winkemann was to have been responsible for justice.
The central body of the group was a "council". A transitional government was to negotiate the new state order in Germany with the victorious Allied powers of the Second World War. "From the association's point of view, the central point of contact for these negotiations is currently exclusively the Russian Federation."
A "military arm" was also to "eliminate" the democratic constitutional state at the level of municipalities, districts and local authorities, it said. Soldiers and police officers were specifically targeted for the coup, the federal prosecutor's office announced. According to the investigation, another plan was to force their way into the German Bundestag with a small armed group.
"Reich citizens" are people who do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany and its democratic structures. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution attributed around 23,000 followers to the scene last year (2021: 21,000). More than five percent - around 1,250 people - are right-wing extremists. According to the report, around 2,300 of the "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" are considered to be violence-oriented.
Announcement on arrests by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution on the Reichsbürger scene
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- The raid against Reich citizens was classified as an anti-terror operation, highlighting the seriousness of the alleged activities.
- St. Nicholas Day came and went, but the investigation into the Reich citizen group continued relentlessly in Stuttgart, Berlin, and Munich.
- Men and women, including a former AfD member and a soldier from the German Special Forces Command, were accused of supporting a terrorist organization.
- Heinrich XIII Prince Reuß, considered one of the leaders, faced multiple charges related to terrorism and extremism.
- In a bid to overthrow the German political system, women like former judge Birgit Malsack-Winkemann reportedly prepared to take charge of key departments.
- Austria and Italy also had their share of arrests, as the investigation into the group's activities expanded beyond German borders.
- The so-called "council" acted as the central body, while the group's transitional government aimed to negotiate with the Allied powers.
- The federal prosecutor's office revealed details of the group's plans to forcefully seize power and eliminate democratic structures.
- Criminality reached new heights with the revelation that specific targets included soldiers and police officers, along with municipalities, districts, and local authorities.
- The far-right extremist group, also known as "Reich citizens," continued to gain momentum, with around 23,000 followers identified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution last year.
- As the federal government grappled with the growing threat of extremism, razzias in Frankfurt on the Main and other parts of Germany aimed to dismantle the group and bring its members to justice, under the watchful eye of the federal prosecutor's office.
Source: www.stern.de
