Last Updated on April 29, 2024
A group of nine tied to a German “far-right” group accused of planning to overthrow their nation’s government is gearing up for trial.
Al Jazeera reported that prosecutors will initiate the hearing in Stuttgart on Monday. The suspects are accused in the plot of installing aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss as Germany’s leader after imposing martial law.
The nine are claimed to be a part of the “military arm” of the German Reichsbuerger, meaning “Citizens of the Reich.” They are reportedly comprised of former soldiers, judges and even a member of parliament for Alternative for Germany (AfD). They are aged between 42 and 60.
Reuters reported that some engaged in protests against the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns seen worldwide. One attorney, Viktoria Dannenmaier, argued this was political persecution:
This is against the people who organized demonstrations about the pandemic demonstrations. Their fundamental rights were denied because they had a different opinion.
In late 2022, the plot came to the knowledge of local law enforcement after a series of raids. Now, as it stands, charges include high treason and attempted murder relating to a standoff with police as they attempted to search Reuss’s home in March of last year.
Twenty-seven defendants are accused in the plot, according to Al Jazeera. The trials are set in three separate courts and cities. The Stuttgart trial will focus on the military wing charged with force of arms to overthrow the state.
Court documents indicated that the group had formed 280 armed units in prep. Reuters reported that prosecutors said the militant group had stockpiled and was well-financed:
They planned to infiltrate an armed group into the parliament building in Berlin, detain legislators and bring down the system. They understood that seizing power would involve killing people.
The nine had 500,000 euros, 380 firearms, 350 bladed weapons and approximately 148,000 rounds of ammo, according to Reuters.
Prosecutors also said the group aimed to take down the “Deep State,” which, to them, committed atrocious crimes and even tortured children. Prosecutor Michael Klemm told the court:
They were convinced that the German population would back them once they knew what was going on. They were aware that their plans would involve violence.
According to reports, the group is a mix of gun enthusiasts, QAnon and German Reichsbuerger right-wingers. The Reichsbuergers are said to be similar to the “sovereign citizen” movement in the US. Reichsbuergers believe they were citizens of the pre-World War I German Reich, destroyed by various modern political movements.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated that the Reichsbuerger groups are propped up by their “hatred of our democracy.” She also added, “We will continue our tough approach until we have fully exposed and dismantled militant Reichsbuerger structures.”
Reuters reported that another 18 suspects still await trial, including Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, who was to be the head of the new government. The rest will go to trial in Munich in June.
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Since 2016, Germany’s intelligence service, Verfassungsschutz, has monitored 21,000 citizens who have embraced Reichsbuerger, which does not acknowledge the current state of Germany. The movement’s rise has coincided with the growing popularity of the AfD, which is second in the polls.