Trial begins for nine suspected of plotting to overthrow German government by far-right group
Lawyers started presenting their case against people connected to the Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich) group. There are 27 accused people in total, who will each be tried in three different courtrooms in separate cities.
A plan to destroy the government and implement martial law was discovered in 2022. Nine of the defendants in the first trial group— including retired military personnel and judges, along with a parliament member for the far-right AfD party— were accused of forming part of the "military wing" of the Reichsbürger. This movement promotes sovereignty-related theories that oppose post-World War II Germany.
The accused appeared unfazed during the first day of the trial, smiling and chatting with one another, as per CNN's NTV. The trial location in Stuttgart is particularly significant because it's famous for holding the imprisoned members of the '70s' far-left Red Army Faction.
These three trials combined represent one of the biggest anti-terror trials to take place in modern Germany.
Believing in a "Conglomerate of Conspiracy Myths"
Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, a 72-year-old entrepreneur, is accused of leading this plot. The defendants supposedly aimed to restore the German Reich through violence, infiltrate the German Bundestag (national parliament), and kidnap German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Prince Reuss is linked to the Reuss royal family, which previously governed parts of eastern Germany. He wanted to seize control of the parliament and assume the position of head of state.
The court's statement before the trial explained that the group's goal was to "violently eliminate the existing state order in Germany and replace it with its own form of government."
"The members of the group were united by a deep rejection of state institutions and the free democratic basic order," the court continued, noting that the defendants were following elaborate "conspiracy myths."
The prosecution alleges that the accused understood "the violent takeover would have involved killing people."
In December, Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor General filed charges against the defendants, who are believed to have established a terrorist organization in late July 2021.
All 27 accused individuals are charged with being a part of a terrorist organization and planning a treasonous uprising.
Two of the defendants face additional charges for violating the Weapons and War Weapons Control Act. "One of these two defendants is also charged with attempted murder, causing bodily harm, resisting, and assaulting law enforcement officers," the court disclosed.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
