What is the Reichsbürger Movement?
The case focuses in particular on a group of Reichsbürger. More than twenty thousand people in Germany belong to that group, according to the German National Security Service. These are people who have distanced themselves from society, they do not recognize German laws, they refuse to pay taxes, but above all they do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany. But those are still mild prospects from the Reichsbürger movement. Part of the people believe in conspiracies, such as the American Qanon plot which was the breeding ground for the storming of the Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. Also, gun enthusiasts and neo-Nazis belong to the group.
What was the plan?
Since November 2021, the group is said to have been developing the plan to carry out an armed attack on the Bundestag. The main goal was to overthrow the government and install a shadow cabinet. “Everyone in the group assumes that the current government is not legitimate and is controlled by big corporations around the world. That’s why they developed among themselves the idea of storming the Bundestag with weapons,’ explains German correspondent Derk Marseille. The dead would not be avoided at the seizure of power, according to the German newspaper Bild.
The weapons themselves were already present with the suspects, Marseille says. “They were captured during raids. People are also aware of the use of weapons. The German judiciary also claims that people were recruited into the military for the plot. Military knowledge was used, among other things, in shooting exercises carried out in the forests, according to Marseille.
While the storming of the Bundestag was to take place, a press conference was to be held in a different location. “It would then be announced that a new government would be installed.” The shadow cabinet would then consist of a few prominent people within German society. “The plan would be implemented in the short term, the German judiciary said. That’s why they have now chosen to do this on a large scale.’
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Who was arrested?
A total of twenty-five people were arrested in the raids. But it probably won’t stop there, because the German prosecutor says more than fifty people are suspected. With the exception of one Russian, the suspects are all German and have been arrested in 11 different German states. Furthermore, one person was arrested in Italy and one in Austria.
Among those arrested there are some big names. The German media Bild reports that among them are Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, former member of the German parliament representing the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and now a judge in Berlin, German army paratrooper, financial adviser, doctor and prominent nobleman.
Proceedings are already underway against the Berlin court to remove her from office, says the German correspondent. You are appointed judge for life. Because of her political connection to the AfD, they want to remove her from office, but so far it hasn’t been successful.’
In addition to these people, there were also several (former) soldiers in the plot, including soldiers from elite units. “Some were no longer active or were employed only as reserve officers. One of them was still active in an elite army unit,” explains Marseille.
This is what we know about the leader
The arrested nobleman is Heinrich XIII, Prince Reuss. He is a 71-year-old man from a prominent family. He was seen by the group as a potential leader of Germany if the coup were successful. Heinrich belongs to the noble Reuss family who formerly owned parts of East Germany. The noble Reuss family had previously distanced themselves from Henry XIII, who had been described as confused and was driven by conspiracy theories.
The nobleman allegedly asked Russia for help before the coup. The German judiciary says Russia should serve as an important central contact for the creation of a new government within the plot.