More than 3,000 police officers carry out the largest raid in German history
The largest raid in Germany’s history ended this morning with plans by an extremist group to stage a coup in Germany with concrete plans to storm the Bundestag, the federal parliament, and kidnap relevant politicians. Investigations by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (BKA) linked 52 people to the conspiracy, 25 of whom were immediately arrested. More than 3,000 police officers, including special attack groups from the federal states and GSG-9, the federal police’s elite anti-terrorism unit, searched 130 homes, offices and warehouses across Germany, including police headquarters. KSK) of the Bundeswehr, the federal army. The operation focused on locations in Bavaria, Saxony, Thuringia, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg, although searches were also made in Austria and Italy at the same time. Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann spoke of an “anti-terrorist operation”.
Prosecutors and police specialized in counter-terrorism accuse those involved of forming a terrorist organization and preparing a coup to end the democratic system and the rule of law with the armed attack on the Bundestag and the kidnapping of prominent German politicians. The men and women in the group counted on this leading to rioting in Germany and the solidarity of much of the country’s security and military forces with their operation, which would eventually have led to a regime change. Some media confirm that the coup leaders planned to launch their operation several times in recent days and that the police intervention was released when all suspects were found. The agents of the raid surprised each of the 52 suspected terrorists.
The agents arrested the suspected leaders of the coup group. Among them the self-proclaimed “Henry XIII, Prince Reuss”, 71 years old and leader of the movement of the so-called “Reichsbürger”, literally “citizens of the Reich”, who deny the existence of the Federal Republic and the legality of its constitution and its authorities. , have far-right and neo-Nazi leanings and follow conspiracy theories close to the QAnon ideology, which prompted the attack on the Washington Capitol in January 2021. Former German army officer Rüdiger has also been identified among those suspected of being part of to make of a terrorist organization von P., 69, a former commander of the parachutist corps, as well as the politics of the ultranationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) Birgit Malsack Winkemann, 58, who as a former deputy of the Bundestag has extensive knowledge of the Reichstag and the rest of the remaining parliamentary buildings.
Sources of the investigation indicated that other members of the coup group include several former soldiers of the federal army, as well as an active duty sergeant and member of the KSK commandos and at least one suspended police officer. German media point out that a lawyer, an internist and a pilot have also been identified. Several of the accused have actively participated in demonstrations against measures to combat the coronavirus epidemic and those who are currently being called upon to criticize the government’s policies in the Ukraine crisis. According to sources from the federal prosecutor’s office, they all planned to raise a shadow army to carry out their coup plans. His “homeland defense companies” would be stationed all over Germany.
The group is said to have bought weapons and war material and held clandestine target practice. Investigators in the case stated that they had “unusually high” funds available to fund their activities. After the coup, they planned to put “Henry XIII, Prince Reuss” at the head of a new government, which would immediately begin negotiations with Russia, for which he and his partner, Vitalia B., had 39 contacts with Russian diplomats contracted. . . So far, the organization’s armed wing, commanded by ex-serviceman Rüdiger von P., has tried to recruit police officers and soldiers sympathetic to his ideas. The researchers verified the holding of meetings in different parts of Germany, as well as the group’s systematic observation of various military barracks with the aim of choosing the best one for their troops.
Source: La Verdad
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