Extremism - "Reichsbürger": Military material via ex-NVA officer
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 ruling 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). (Ref. AK 87/23)
"Reich citizens" are people who do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany and its democratic structures. The large-scale anti-terror raid against the group around 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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- The rich citizen, allegedly part of the "Reich Citizens" group, was believed to have contacted an ex-NVA officer for procuring military equipment, as mentioned in the Federal Court of Justice's files.
- The Federal Prosecutor's Office arrested the suspect in the district of Freudenstadt in May 2023, following their investigation into the group's activities.
- The former NVA officer and the suspect reportedly discussed the purchase of Bundeswehr and NVA military equipment, including armored vehicles and large quantities of ammunition, in a chat.
- Heinrich XIII Prince Reuß, a prominent figure in the "Reich Citizens" group, was under investigation for extremism and terrorism charges in Karlsruhe, according to court documents.
- The Military arm of the "Reich Citizens" group, which the suspect was allegedly involved in, had plans to use an NVA barracks area as a base for their operations, as revealed in seized documents.
- The German authorities have been dealing with increasing instances of terrorism and extremism, as evidenced by the large-scale anti-terror raid against the "Reich Citizens" group in December 2022.
- The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office charged 27 suspects related to the "Reich Citizens" group, emphasizing the severity of the situation and working towards preventing future terrorist acts in Germany.
Source: www.stern.de
