Twenty-five supporters of a group preparing to violently overthrow the German state were detained by German authorities on Wednesday.
According to prosecutors, the group was inspired by the Reichsbuerger movement, a group denying the legitimacy of the modern German state, and instead insisting that the “Deutsches Reich” still exists, despite it being dissolved in World War Two when the Nazis were defeated.
The plot entailed a former member of a German royal family, identified as Heinrich XIII P.R. under Germany’s privacy law, becoming the leader of a future state. Another suspect, identified as Ruediger v. P., would lead the military arm, according to prosecutors.
Heinrich, who uses the title prince, is from the royal House of Reuss, which previously ruled over parts of eastern Germany. He reached out to Russian representatives as central contacts integral to the establishment of his new order. There was, however, no indication or evidence that the representatives had responded.
Russia’s embassy in Germany said in a statement to the RIA news agency that “Russian diplomatic and consular institutions in Germany do not maintain contacts with representatives of terrorist groups and other illegal groups.”
Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser asserted that Germany would use the full force of the law against any endeavors to implicate the state. She added that further investigations are underway to reveal the extent of the group’s progress in the attempted coup.
“The investigations provide a glimpse into the abyss of a terrorist threat from the Reichsbuerger milieu,” she said.
She added that the country knows how to defend itself against “the enemies of democracy.”
Among those being investigated are one active soldier who is a member of the Bundeswehr’s KSK elite force, as well as several reservists, according to military intelligence. The KSK has been overhauled in recent years, following a number of incidents related to far-right influence for which they’ve come under scrutiny.
It is believed that a small group of armed individuals from the group had concrete plans to storm the Bundestag lower house of parliament in Berlin, the prosecutor’s office said.
The Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) movement is said to boast around 21,000 members. Around 5 percent are seen as far-right extremists, with around 10 percent of total members prepared to use violence to reach their goals, as per a 2021 Germany domestic intelligence agency report.
House of Reuss
In a 2019 speech denouncing modern political structures, Heinrich Reuss said his dynasty has a long history that could be traced back to 900 AD. He noted that due to the administrative structures in the former principality of Reuss having been “straightforward and transparent,” people led “happy lives.”
“If things didn’t work well you just went to the prince,” he said. “Who are you supposed to turn to today?”
Germany lost its sovereignty following World War Two and became a vassal to Western allies, he continued.
Monarch rule was abolished in Germany a hundred years ago. When the Weimar Constitution came into force on Aug. 14, 1919, all legal privileges and titles of German nobility were also abolished, effectively eradicating royal titles in Germany.
Prosecutors said over 3,000 police officials and security forces across 11 German federal states took part in the raids. Suspects were arrested in the German states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hessen, Lower Saxony, Saxony, and Thuringia. The arrests also spanned over Austria and Italy.
The suspects are accused of preparing actions since at least the end of November 2021. These include procuring equipment, recruiting new members, and holding shooting lessons.
Recruitment efforts were primarily focused on members of the military and police officers, the office said.
Being aware that their plan would involve deaths, its members viewed this as a “necessary intermediate step” towards overarching system change, it added.
The military intelligence service said that prior to Wednesday’s raids it collaborated with prosecutors in their investigation, including sharing information with the domestic intelligence service and federal criminal investigators.
The detainees will appear before a Federal Court of Justice on Wednesday and Thursday. The judge will then determine pre-trial detention arrangements and issue arrest warrants.
Reuters contributed to this report.