Plot uncovered to overthrow German Government by ‘Prince Heinrich XIII’
Twenty-five people have been arrested in raids on suspected far-right extremists across Germany.
Thousands of police conducted searches in 11 of Germany’s 16 states against members of the so-called Reich Citizens movement – thought to be led by a self-declared prince called Heinrich XIII.
Der Spiegel reports Heinrich XIII is a well-known 71-year-old member of a minor German noble family.
It is believed the group reject Germany’s post-war constitution and planned to install the ‘prince’ as the country’s new leader.
The other alleged ringleader is a 69-year-old former paratrooper named only as Ruediger, in line with German privacy rules.
Prosecutors say Heinrich XIII contacted Russian officials with the aim of negotiating a new order in Germany once the government was overthrown.
It is alleged he was assisted in these talks by a Russian woman called Vitalia B.
Another female suspect, identified as Birgit M W, is reportedly a judge and former lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany party.
Known by its acronym AfD, the party has increasingly come under scrutiny by security services due to its ties with extremists.
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann described the raids as an ‘anti-terrorism operation’, adding the suspects may have planned an armed attack on state institutions.
Locations searched include the barracks of Germany’s special forces unit KSK in the south-western town of Calw, reports say.
The elite wing of the armed forces was dismantled in 2020 due to allegations of far-right extremism within its ranks.
One person has also been arrested in the Austrian town of Kitzbuehel and another in the Italian city of Perugia.
The suspects were aware their aim could only be achieved by military means and with force, prosecutors said.
They allegedly believed in a ‘conglomerate of conspiracy theories consisting of narratives from the so-called Reich Citizens as well as QAnon ideology’.
Prosecutors say the group think Germany is ruled by a so-called ‘deep state’ – echoing the baseless claims made by former President Donald Trump about the US.
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