Translated with AI
The first trial in the case of the preparation of a coup d'état by a group of so-called "Reichsbürgers" led by Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss has begun in Stuttgart, the DW agency reported.
According to the indictment, the members of the extremist group planned to seize the Bundestag building by force and arrest senior officials, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and opposition leader Friedrich Merz. After seizing power, the conspirators intended to introduce a new state structure in Germany and conclude a peace treaty with the victorious countries of World War II, primarily Russia.
The group, numbering about 200 people, included former military personnel, intelligence officers and politicians. Among the defendants in the case is former Bundestag member of parliament from the Alternative for Germany party Birgit Malzac-Winkemann, who, according to the conspirators, was to head the Ministry of Justice.
During the arrest operation carried out on December 7, 2022, 25 people were arrested. 382 weapons and about 150 thousand rounds of ammunition were seized from them.
The prosecution accuses the defendants of creating a terrorist organization and preparing a violent overthrow of the state system. Hearings on the case are also taking place in Frankfurt am Main and Munich. Sentencing is not expected before 2025.
According to the authorities, the number of "Reichsbürgers" in Germany is about 20 thousand people, about 2.3 thousand of them are prone to violent actions.
