Exercises or Instructional Sessions Held in Upper Franconia
In a significant development, German law enforcement conducted early-morning raids across multiple states, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia, leading to the arrest of three individuals suspected of conspiring to violently overthrow Germany's constitutional order.
Authorities believe these suspects belonged to a terrorist group intent on dismantling democratic institutions. The arrests follow a series of ongoing investigations and trials involving dozens of Reichsbürger members accused of plotting coups or kidnappings of government officials.
The Reichsbürger are a radical, extremist movement denying the legitimacy of the modern German state. They claim that the German Reich, either in its pre-World War I or pre-World War II borders, still exists and that the Federal Republic is an illegitimate entity or corporation imposed by Allied powers after World War II.
The arrested individuals are said to have participated in a training session with weapons in Upper Franconia in April 2022. Investigators assume the exercises were intended to prepare for a possible attack on the German Bundestag.
Until a final conviction, the suspects enjoy the presumption of innocence. Five men and one woman aged between 40 and 61 are under investigation.
The arrest warrants for two more suspects will be decided on Friday. Three terrorism trials against the "Reichsbürger" group Reuss are currently underway nationwide, with Heinrich XIII. Prince Reuss and former AfD federal parliamentarian Birgit Malsack-Winkemann among the accused.
The special forces of the police carried out the arrests, securing items subject to the Weapons Act and data carriers during the searches. The chairman of the police union (GdP), Jochen Kopelke, stated that the arrests demonstrate the threat posed by extremists and active terrorist groups to democracy.
This is not the first time the Reichsbürger movement has come under scrutiny. The movement has been classified as extremist and monitored by Germany's domestic intelligence agency due to their involvement in violence and criminal activities. A pivotal incident in 2016, where a Reichsbürger adherent fatally shot a police officer during a raid, marked heightened concerns over their potential for violent extremism.
Court proceedings against about 27 alleged leaders of the organization are currently ongoing in several German cities, while additional suspects remain under investigation. The German government has increasingly intensified its scrutiny of the Reichsbürger movement in response to these threats.
As the investigations continue, the public and authorities remain vigilant against the potential for further violent extremism from the Reichsbürger movement. The arrests serve as a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by extremist groups to Germany's democratic institutions.
- The arrests of the suspects, who are allegedly part of a terrorist group aiming to dismantle democratic institutions, are closely linked to the Reichsbürger movement, a radical extremist group that denies the legitimacy of the modern German state.
- The ongoing investigations and trials involving the Reichsbürger, known for their involvement in war-and-conflicts, politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice, are being closely monitored due to their history of violence and criminal activities.
