Germany: The public prosecutor filed the first lawsuit related to the so-called Citizens of the Reich alleged coup attempt

The German public prosecutor filed the first lawsuit related to the major anti-terrorism campaign carried out by the security services against the movement known as “Citizens of the Reich” about a year ago.

The prosecution in the city of Karlsruhe explained on Tuesday that the total number of suspects in this case is 27 people facing charges including belonging to and supporting a terrorist organization.

The prosecution stated in a statement regarding the group called “Reichsbürger” or “Citizens of the Reich” that there are strong suspicions towards the accused of membership in a terrorist organization, as well as preparing treason plans for the state.

Given the size of the organization and the level of the supposed extremely complex scheme, the defendants will appear before three higher regional courts in Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.

These courts must still decide whether to accept the case, and if accepted, a trial date will be set.

On December 7 last year, the German Public Prosecution ordered the arrest of 25 men and women in several German states, Austria and Italy, in a case that captured the attention of the international media and sparked a wide local debate about how to curb the extreme right-wing movement.

His popularity and presence in the country is increasing.

According to Federal Prosecutor Peter Frank at the time, the “Citizens of the Reich” movement established a “council” to take over power after the coup, as well as a “military wing to build a new German army”.

Among those arrested were Birgitte Malczak Wenkmann, a former Bundestag member from the Far-right, Alternative for Germany party, and a soldier from the German army’s special forces division.

The businessman Heinrich XIII, nicknamed Prince Reuss, is considered one of the leaders of the movement.

The circle of suspects is much larger than these, and is expanding as investigations continue, and many of them are in pretrial detention.

It’s believed that the defendants intended to overthrow the regime in Germany, and investigators say that they were intentionally risking deaths, and that they had already put in place the structures of their state system, which was to be headed by Heinrich XIII, a businessman and member of the old ruling Reuss family.

Administrations were also distributed; For example, former judge Birgitte Malczak Wenkmann was expected to take charge of the judiciary.

It’s noteworthy that “Citizens of the Reich” movement, which isn’t fully known by the Germany Public, don’t recognize the Federal Republic of Germany and its democratic structures.

Estimates of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (internal intelligence) indicate that the number of supporters of this movement reached approximately 23,000 people last year, compared to 21,000 people in 2021, and internal intelligence says that more than 5% of these supporters (about 1,250 people) are Right-wing extremists, while intelligence estimates the number of people with an inclination toward violence, including “Citizens of the Reich” and “self-managers,” is about 2,300 people.