In a major raid in Germany, 25 people from the so-called Reichsburgerscene were arrested on Wednesday morning. About 3,000 civil servants have been deployed in eleven states, says a spokeswoman for the German federal prosecutor’s office. She accuses the accused of preparing the overthrow of the state. Among those arrested is an Austrian. Among the 22 arrested suspects are said to be members of a terrorist organization, two of them leaders.
Three others are considered supporters. There are also 27 other suspects, the spokeswoman said. “We don’t have a name for this association yet,” she told the German news agency. It is probably based on conspiracy theories. According to the information, the Germans have been arrested in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony and Thuringia. In addition to the Austrian, an Italian was also said to have been arrested.
Searches were also carried out in Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. The German federal prosecutor’s office wanted to start interrogating the first arrested on Wednesday, the spokeswoman said.
Had access to weapons
According to research by WDR, the group is said to have planned an armed attack on the German Bundestag in Berlin. “Reich citizens” should also include former members of the special military unit KSK Commando and the Bundeswehr. They allegedly plotted to use force to destroy state order – and also had access to weapons.
“Reich citizens” are people who do not recognize the Federal Republic and its democratic structures. They often refuse to pay taxes. Often they are in conflict with authorities. The Bureau for the Protection of the Constitution attributes about 21,000 followers to the scene.
During a raid in 2016, a so-called Reichsburger shot four police officers in the Bavarian Georgensgmünd. One of them succumbed to his injuries in hospital. The special task force wanted to confiscate the fighter’s weapons.
Source: Krone
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