The trial which opens before the Frankfurt court is the second concerning this case which involves a total of 26 suspects, whose revelation at the end of 2022 stunned the country. Its members, who do not recognize the legitimacy of the Federal Republic, are accused of high treason for having prepared a coup d’état, foiled at the end of 2022.
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Henry XIII, known as Prince Reuss, was the mastermind of the conspiracy ring dismantled in December 2022. It was in his castle in Thüringen, in the former GDR, that the meetings were held to prepare for the coup d’état which was to put an end to a power dominated, according to the conspiracists, by, “ a sect of pedophile elites », says the RFI correspondent in Berlin, Nathalie Versieux.
Among the nine people in the dock this Tuesday, May 21, are the alleged masterminds of the group fueled by conspiratorial and far-right ideologies. They planned to invade the Bundestag to arrest elected officials and bring down the government.
A first trial began at the end of April under high security against nine other members in Stuttgart. The rest of the cell will be tried in Munich from June 18.
The group had 500,000 euros in cash, quantities of weapons, and perhaps even support from Moscow. Twenty-six suspected members are in pre-trial detention. Among them, a former magistrate and former MP from the far-right AfD party, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann. She appeared in court wearing a black down jacket.
Also accused are former soldiers, all affiliated with the Reichsbürger movement, these citizens of the Reich, close to the extreme right, who deny any legitimacy to the Federal Republic. Long considered as crazy people, the Reichsbürger are today closely followed by the intelligence services. Far-right violence is now ranked as the greatest risk to public order, ahead of jihadist risk.
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