It was the second of three trials – and the most high-profile – that began on Tuesday in Frankfurt. The investigation, which is estimated to be close to 400,000 pages, is described as the most comprehensive in the country’s history and the trial is expected to last for several years.
The defendants are alleged to be front figures in the far-right Reichsbürger movement, led by the German self-proclaimed prince Heinrich XIII Reuss. They are suspected of planning to overthrow the German government and Heinrich XIII Reuss is said to have been intended to become the country’s new leader after the coup.
Arrested in nationwide raids
The suspected plot was uncovered when around 20 people were arrested in nationwide raids in December 2022 involving thousands of police officers.
A total of 27 people are suspected of former terrorist crimes or aiding and abetting terrorist crimes in three trials. Since April 29, a trial in Stuttgart has been ongoing against the alleged military branch of the movement. And on June 18, the third trial begins in Munich against eight more suspected members, write Deutsche Welle.
See the full story behind the terror plots that rocked Germany in the video above.