German prosecutors have charged 27 suspected far-right extremists with planning a violent coup d'état, UNN reports citing the BBC.
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The suspects are accused of being members of the Reichsbürger ("Reichsbürger", "Citizens of the Reich") movement.
"The members of the group strongly rejected state institutions and a free democratic constitutional order," the prosecution says.
These are mainly associates of Henry XIII, Prince Royce, the nominal head of the Reichsbürger from an aristocratic family. Prosecutors accused 27 people of planning to overthrow Germany's democratic political system.
Reportedly, starting in the summer of 2021, specific preparations for the coup were made. The plan was to seize power by invading the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, with a small group of armed men.
The attack was to begin after receiving a signal. The alleged plotters had already determined how their new state would function after the coup. The group compiled lists of enemies. According to the indictment, the members of the organization were aware that their plans would lead to the killing of people. The suspected conspirators had access to approximately 380 firearms and 148,000 rounds of ammunition.
Some of the defendants were arrested during federal police raids last December. Addendum. According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, there are about 23,000 followers of the Reichsbürger movement in the country.