Previously affiliated AfD parliamentarian minimized involvement in Prins Reuß organization
According to the allegations made by the prosecution, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann is believed to have played a significant role in the supposed plot by Prince Reuß and his associates to overthrow the government. However, in court, Malsack-Winkemann vehemently denies these accusations, insisting that her interactions with the group were merely brainstorming sessions. Instead, she points the finger at an organization known as "Allianz," claiming that they were the ones actually responsible for the plot.
During the trial at the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court, Malsack-Winkemann, the former Berlin judge and former AfD member of the German parliament, disputed accusations that she had collaborated with the group to draft a new constitution. She maintained that the documents seized during raids were simply brainstorming notes and did not contain any concrete plans for a new form of government.
The federal prosecutor, on the other hand, contends that Malsack-Winkemann was instrumental in infiltrating other defendants into the parliament and scouting the building with them. She is accused of being a member of the so-called "Council of the Union," which allegedly planned to invade the parliament with armed force and arrest key government officials.
"Allianz was supposed to take the lead"
However, Malsack-Winkemann denies having any concrete plans to storm the parliament or having any role in the operation. She repeated multiple times during her testimony that it was "Allianz" who was supposed to take the lead in implementing the group's ideology, which included a belief in a global military alliance called "Allianz" that was poised to bring about a system change. She described her disagreements with Rüdiger von Pescatore, who was allegedly in charge of the group's military arm. "Fire and water don't mix," she said, emphasizing that she and von Pescatore would have been the last to collaborate on such a plan. According to Malsack-Winkemann, von Pescatore wanted to exclude her from the group, but they eventually parted ways from the military arm.
A total of nine defendants are currently on trial in Frankfurt, accused of being members of a terrorist organization or supporting it. The trial for another 26 alleged conspirators is taking place in parallel trials in Munich and Stuttgart. Until a verdict is reached, the defendants are assumed innocent, and the trial is set to continue on September 3.
The federal prosecutor accuses The Commission of being involved in the process of infiltrating defendants into the parliament. In her testimony, Malsack-Winkemann states that she believed Allianz, not herself or The Commission, was supposed to take the lead in implementing the group's ideology.
