The arrests were made in eleven different federal states in Germany, reports the German public prosecutor. The Reichsbürger, as they call themselves, do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany and therefore consider that national laws do not apply to them. Many of them also refuse to pay taxes for this reason.
“Democracy is well defended: a major counter-terrorism operation has been underway since this morning,” Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said via Twitter. More than 100 locations in 11 states were raided by about 3,000 officers. The investigation focuses on a total of 52 suspects.
Shadow government
According to the German newspaper Bild, a network has been created around several prominent people within the group. This would include former AfD politician Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who is now a judge in Berlin, and a man from a noble family. According to the newspaper, German soldiers are also involved in the coup plans.
German media reports that the group had an entire shadow cabinet ready to take over. The 71-year-old Heinrich XIII, Prinz Reuss, the person of the noble family, would be designated as ruler. In addition to the arrests in Germany, people have also been arrested in Italy and Austria