"Reich citizens" wanted military equipment via ex-NVA officer
"Reich citizens" do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany and its democratic structures. A larger group around Heinrich XIII Prince Reuß is said to have planned a violent coup. The charges are pending against the first suspects. A BGH ruling has now brought new details to light.
The alleged "Reich Citizens" group, which is said to have planned a coup, wanted to procure military equipment via a former officer of the National People's Army (NVA) of the GDR, according to files of the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). A suspected member of the group around Heinrich XIII Prince Reuß had been in contact with the man via chat, according to a decision now published by the BGH in Karlsruhe on the continued pre-trial detention.
The federal prosecutor's office had the suspect arrested in May 2023 in the district of Freudenstadt in Baden-Württemberg. He is said to have joined the organization in July 2022 at the latest and participated in its military part. According to statements by a co-defendant, the man was in charge of an area within a so-called homeland security company and in this capacity took part in several meetings of the group's military arm, the decision states. Furthermore, the two had drawn up equipment lists and inspected a barracks area as a base for the unit.
In a chat with the former NVA officer in October 2022, the accused had shown interest in purchasing various items of clothing and equipment from Bundeswehr and NVA stocks. Jointly drafted lists of military equipment were seized from the co-defendant. According to the BGH documents, these included several thousand items of clothing, more than 300,000 rounds of ammunition, armored vehicles (the Dingo, Wiesel and GTK Boxer types are mentioned), military heavy transporters ("Mammut with loading crane") and armored reconnaissance vehicles (Fennek).
Dozens of other suspects
"Reich citizens" and so-called self-administrators do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany as a state. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimates that the scene has around 23,000 followers - and the trend is rising. More than five percent - around 1,250 people - are right-wing extremists. According to the report, around 2300 of the "Reichsbürger" and "Selbstverwalter" are considered to be violence-oriented.
The large-scale anti-terror raid against the group led by Henry XIII Prince Reuss in December 2022 caused quite a stir. A few weeks ago, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office announced that it had charged 27 suspects before the higher regional courts in Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Stuttgart. There are dozens more suspects.
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Source: www.ntv.de
