For the first time, one of the defendants testified in the “Reichsbürger” trial involving members of the Reuss group. He claims to have known nothing about murder and coup plans. He was concerned with disaster protection
At 20 past nine in the morning it started in the high security court in Stuttgart Stammheim. It immediately became clear: The presiding judge initially wanted as little banter as possible: After all, the defendant Wolfram S. had announced that he would testify today about the serious allegations against him. A statement that the court did not want to jeopardize under any circumstances and therefore wanted to get to the point quickly.
It was the second day of the trial in the case surrounding the so-called military arm of the alleged terrorist organization around Henry XIII. Prinz Reuß, which is attributed to the “Reichsbürger” scene. A week ago, the first of three trials surrounding the group began in Stuttgart.
It is one of the largest state security proceedings in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. While the indictment was read out on the first day of the trial and everything revolved around the allegations made by the federal prosecutor, one of the defendants now had the floor.
Charge: Building the IT structure
Monday was about Wolfram S. The prosecution accuses the 55-year-old of having set up an IT structure for the terrorist organization. He provided laptops for the members and previously equipped the devices with encryption technology and secure messenger services to protect them from access by the state.
He also set up a database for the “homeland security companies”, which were then supposed to carry out “cleansing” – i.e. killings – throughout Germany. Like all members, he signed the group’s confidentiality agreement and wanted the political overthrow of Germany.
Wolfram S.: Interest in crisis prevention
Wolfram S. first spoke for two hours about his life, his relationship with his late father and his mother, who sat in the audience – separated by a pane of glass – and listened to what her son was saying. He was already very interested in electronics in his childhood. He later studied sensor system technology in Karlsruhe.
Until his arrest in December 2022, he was employed as an electronics technician and also worked as a self-employed photographer. He has always been interested in disaster control and crisis prevention and was worried that there could be a power outage in Germany or another catastrophe.
On the one hand, his father, who had similar concerns, told him this. On the other hand, as an electronics engineer, he knew that “the systems were extremely vulnerable”.
“Homeland Security Companies” throughout Germany
His second major topic, which Wolfram S. spoke about for a long time and with conviction: digital sovereignty on the Internet. He has always advocated for his circle of friends to use secure communication channels and protect data. His vision: his own social network with a real meeting place. He called it a “village café”.
It was these two topics that led to contact with the co-defendants, the 55-year-old said after the lunch break. He thought it was good that others also wanted to prepare for a system collapse and organize systematic disaster protection. With “homeland security companies” throughout Germany.
Waiting for a “Day X”
“I thought the idea was good,” said Wolfram S.. It was close to his ideas. That’s why he agreed to take part. He was told a specific “Day He didn’t know whether all of this could be true and couldn’t check it, but he at least thought it was possible.
The court only has to make a judgment at the end of the long trial. But it was already clear in the questions today: the judges didn’t think what Wolfram S. was saying was really credible. “You are an intelligent person and think about a lot of things. Why not about that?” asked the presiding judge regarding the comments on the “Alliance”.
Richter asked several times
Even when Wolfram S. repeatedly emphasized that he was only concerned with protecting the population, the presiding judge asked: The meetings were also about weapons, and the questionnaires were used to recruit more volunteers for the “homeland security squads”. It was also about who had what experience with weapons and whether it was a challenge for those recruited to deal with deceased people.
That didn’t surprise him, explained Wolfram S. He was ultimately told that they wanted to join forces with the Bundeswehr and the police. And the Bundeswehr has weapons. And the military record for a new German army that the group presented to him didn’t make him suspicious either. This could be due to his “lack of general education”. He was also never interested in politics and history.
“I still liked the idea”
Late in the afternoon, Wolfram S. reported how the group’s prediction of “Day X” had simply passed without anything having happened. He then asked himself “what he was actually doing”. But he didn’t really break away from the group: “I still liked the idea of the ‘homeland security companies’.”
The next day of the trial is on Wednesday. The Stuttgart Higher Regional Court has so far set dates for the hearing until January 2025. Observers expect it to take significantly longer.
In addition to the trial in Stuttgart, there will be two further trials against the group around Prince Reuss. The trial against the leading members of the suspected terrorist organization begins in Frankfurt am Main on May 21st. A third trial will begin in Munich in June.