By: Demi Conteh
25 people were detained on suspicion of planning to topple the German government. The group of far-right and ex-military leaders allegedly planned a "Day X" invasion of the Reichstag. They claim that Heinrich XIII, a member of a long-standing aristocratic family, played a key role in their scheme. He is one of two alleged ringleaders among those detained in 11 German states, according to federal authorities.
The radical Citizens of the Reich movement, which has long been under the radar of German police due to violent attacks and racist and antisemitic conspiracy theories, is reported to be among the plotters.
According to Interior Minister Nancy Fraeser, the plotters shared a dream based on conspiracy theories and a dislike of democracy. Officials claim that among the suspects are members of a number of far-right extremist organisations, QAnon adherents, and those who support the Reichsbürger or "Reich citizens" movement, which contends that the existing constitution of Germany is illegitimate.
The conspirators came together as early as November 2021, according to Frank, and bonded over their admiration for "Prince Heinrich XIII," a 71-year-old man who earned supporters due to his divisive political beliefs. Heinrich is a member of the defunct German royal house of Reuss, which once had a real Prince Heinrich XIII, and a minor nobleman. However, the 1918 founding of the Weimar Republic saw the end of the monarchy.
According to the prosecutor's office, the group opposed the current German government on the grounds that it is corrupted by "deep state" agents, a conspiracy theory that has supporters in many nations, including the US.
Public prosecutor general, Peter Frank says that organisers adopted a framework meant to resemble a federal government and started establishing a leadership council. According to the prosecutor's office, members had been picked to serve as the new justice minister and in other capacities, with Heinrich chosen to serve as the next head of state.
Frank claimed that the organisation has a military branch and that their goal calls for the establishment of a new military. Some of the members of this military branch have previously served as active duty soldiers in the German armed forces, he said.
In a coordinated operation spanning 11 states, 130 searches were conducted by about 3000 federal, state, and other police officials, according to Frank. In Perugia, Italy, and Kitzbühel, Austria, two arrests were made. The prosecutor's office claims that in October, members of the conspiracy's military wing scouted out military bases in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, and Bavaria in order to determine potential locations to house their own troops. And according to the office, members tried to persuade police personnel in northern Germany to support their cause in November.
This high-profile conflict involving the far-right in Germany certainly surpasses an incident in 2017, when two German army soldiers were detained and accused of conspiring to kill the nation's former president and justice minister, among other targets. The defence ministry conducted a thorough investigation to weed out far-right extremism in the military after that plot was exposed. Senior officers were ordered to take action when they noticed overt displays of far-right sentiments by the country's then-Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. More thorough background checks for all new recruits were also part of that effort. The military also looked over roughly 300 reports of severe far-right remarks or actions, including soldiers saluting in the Nazi stance.
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