Nine Face Trial In Germany For Alleged Far-right Coup Plot
Faizan Hashmi Published April 30, 2024 | 03:40 PM
Stuttgart, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Apr, 2024) The first members of a far-right group that allegedly plotted to attack the German parliament and overthrow the government will go on trial in Stuttgart on Monday.
Nine suspected participants in the coup plot will take the stand in the first set of proceedings to open in the sprawling court case, split among three courts in three cities.
The suspects are accused of having participated in the "military arm" of the organisation led by the minor aristocrat and businessman Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss.
The alleged plot is the most high-profile recent case of far-right violence, which officials say has grown to become the biggest extremist threat in Germany.
The organisation led by Reuss was an eclectic mix of characters and included, among others, a former special forces soldier, a former far-right MP, an astrologer, and a well-known chef.
Reuss, along with other suspected senior members of the group, will face trial in the second of the three cases, in Frankfurt in late May.
The group aimed to install him as head of state after its planned takeover.
The alleged plotters espoused a mix of "conspiracy myths" drawn from the global QAnon movement and the German Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) scene, according to prosecutors.
The Reichsbuerger movement includes right-wing extremists and gun enthusiasts who reject the legitimacy of the modern German republic.
Its followers generally believe in the continued existence of the pre-World War I German Reich, or empire, under a monarchy, and several groups have declared their own states.
Such Reichsbuerger groups were driven by "hatred of our democracy", Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in Berlin on Sunday.
"We will continue our tough approach until we have fully exposed and dismantled militant 'Reichsbuerger' structures," she added.
- 'Treasonous undertaking' -
According to investigators, Reuss's group shared a belief that Germany was run by members of a "deep state" and that the country could be liberated with the help of a secret international alliance.
The nine men to stand trial in Stuttgart are accused by prosecutors of preparing a "treasonous undertaking" as part of the Reichsbuerger plot.
As part of the group, they are alleged to have aimed to "forcibly eliminate the existing state order" and replace it with their own institutions.
The members of the military arm were tasked with establishing, supplying and recruiting new members for "territorial defence companies", according to prosecutors.
Among the accused are a special forces soldier, identified only as Andreas M. in line with privacy laws, who is said to have used his access to scout out army barracks.
Others were allegedly responsible for the group's IT systems or were tasked with liaising with the fictitious underground "alliance", which they thought would rally to the plotters' aid when the coup was launched.
The nine include Alexander Q., who is accused by Federal prosecutors of acting as the group's propagandist, spreading conspiracy theories via the Telegram messaging app.
Two of the defendants, Markus L. and Ralf S., are accused of weapons offences in addition to the charge of treason.
Markus L. is also accused of attempted murder for allegedly turning an assault rifle on police and injuring two officers during a raid at his address in March 2023.
Police swooped in to arrest most of the group in raids across Germany in December 2022 and the charges were brought at the end of last year.
- Three-part trial -
Proceedings in Stuttgart are set to continue until early 2025.
In all, 26 people are accused in the huge case against the extremist network, with trials also set to open in Munich and Frankfurt.
Reuss will stand trial in Frankfurt from May 21, alongside another ringleader, an ex-army officer identified as Ruediger v.P., and a former MP for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann.
The Reichsbuerger group had allegedly organised a "council" to take charge after their planned putsch, with officials warning preparations were at an advanced stage.
The alleged plotters had resources amounting to 500,000 Euros ($536,000) and a "massive arsenal of weapons", according to federal prosecutors.
Long dismissed as malcontents and oddballs, believers in Reichsbuerger-type conspiracies have become increasingly radicalised in recent years and are seen as a growing security threat.
Earlier this month, police charged a new suspect in relation to another coup plot.
The plotters, frustrated with pandemic-era restrictions, planned to kidnap the German health minister, according to investigators.
Five other suspected co-conspirators in that plot went on trial in Koblenz last May.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Ukraine trying to 'stabilise' front as Russia pushes northeast
SPSC announces final results of Combined Competitive Examination 2020
Slovak PM is able to speak few sentences in serious condition
Agriculture dept using all resources to obtain cotton sowing target
Tunisia president blasts foreign criticism of arrests
Court seeks arguments in PTI founder's bail plea
'Good neighbour': The small-town Slovak writer suspected of PM shooting
Russia expels UK defence attache in tit-for-tat move
Court reserves verdict in PTI founder's acquittal plea
Cannes film shocks with fairy-tale horror on abortion
Turkey court jails Kurdish leader for 42 years over 2014 unrest
KP Governor; Aftab Sherpao discuss political situation of KP
More Stories From World
-
Chad junta chief officially wins election
4 hours ago -
Trump lawyers vie to discredit key witness Cohen at trial
4 hours ago -
Ecuadoran president urges international help to stop drug problem
5 hours ago -
S.Africa tells UN court Israel 'genocide' hit 'new and horrific stage'
5 hours ago -
Biden makes new outreach to Black voters as support slips
6 hours ago -
Ukraine battles to hold back Russia advance
6 hours ago
-
China 'can't have it both ways' with Russia and West: US
6 hours ago -
US military says aid pier anchored to Gaza beach
6 hours ago -
Ukraine trying to 'stabilise' front as Russia pushes northeast
7 hours ago -
Slovak PM is able to speak few sentences in serious condition
7 hours ago -
Tunisia president blasts foreign criticism of arrests
7 hours ago -
'Good neighbour': The small-town Slovak writer suspected of PM shooting
7 hours ago