“Reichsbürger” network: Five suspects after a new raid

Once again, the police raided suspected supporters of a “Reich Citizens” network. Now there are five other suspects, a police officer was injured – possibly with legally acquired weapons.

After the major raid at the beginning of December, there were renewed searches in the vicinity of a “Reichsbürger” network. In the early morning, the police arrived in several federal states and searched the premises of suspected witnesses and supporters of the group. The action was related to the searches in December, when 23 people were arrested.

According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, there are now five other suspects, they are from Munich, the Hanover region, Chemnitz and Switzerland. They are suspected of supporting a terrorist organization. 20 objects in a total of eight federal states and in Switzerland were searched. It was also the premises of 14 people who are not considered suspicious.

After research by WDR, NDR and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (SZ), a police officer and a soldier are said to be among the people searched.

A cop shot

A police officer was slightly injured in the raid. A spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe confirmed that a shot was fired during a search in Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg. The officials had first visited the person as a witness, now he is considered a suspect and was arrested. Investigated because of an attempted homicide.

According to information from SWR and ARD Capital Studio legal weapons were registered on the suspected shooters. The 22-year-old Markus L. is said to have signed a non-disclosure agreement from the “Reich Citizens” group. According to information from the dpa news agency, he entrenched himself when the special forces arrived and defended himself with a firearm. The police blew up a locked door. According to the federal prosecutor’s office, there were no further arrests

System change also with force of arms

The presumed members of the “Reichsbürger” network are said to have dreamed of a system change in Germany, if necessary by force of arms. And about the coming to power of a new government, a “council” headed by a member of a former noble family from Thuringia. The fantasies are said to have included a storming of the Bundestag in Berlin, the establishment of armed “homeland security companies” – and the arrest of democratically elected MPs by a newly formed army.

The Federal Public Prosecutor accuses those arrested of founding a terrorist group and planning a violent coup in Germany. It is also being investigated because of the possible preparation of a highly treasonable company against the federal government and a serious criminal offense endangering the state. The presumption of innocence continues to apply to all suspects.

One of the biggest police actions in Germany

In December 2022, more than 3,000 police officers combed more than 160 apartments, houses and offices in eleven federal states and took many evidences with them. The group’s members are said to include suspected “Reich citizens” and conspiracy extremists, including the Hessian businessman Heinrich XIII. Prince Reuss.

But several former Bundeswehr soldiers, as well as former and active members of the Special Forces Command (KSK) are among those arrested in December. Also a doctor, a tenor, a lawyer and a gourmet chef.

Ex-AfD deputies still in custody

At the time, the arrest of former judge and AfD member of the Bundestag Birgit Malsack-Winkemann from Berlin attracted particular attention. The latter is still in custody and has since been temporarily suspended from judicial work due to the allegations made against her. Due to her case, the Bundestag changed the access regulations for former members of the Bundestag, who now no longer have an automatic right of access.

“Now the work really starts,” federal prosecutor Lars Otte told members of the Bundestag in a special session of the Interior Committee after the first raid at the end of last year. “There’s still a long way to go before the whole thing is figured out.”

First evidence now evaluated

In the past few months, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), together with some state criminal investigation offices, has evaluated large amounts of evidence from the raid last December. Computers, hard drives and mobile phones in particular, but also written documents, were the focus of the investigators of the special organizational structure (BAO) “Schatten”, which was set up at the BKA specifically for this purpose. In the meantime, more than 300 employees of the authority are said to have been busy with the procedure.

Around 100 firearms were found in the first raid, most of them apparently legal, but also military equipment, daggers, swords, crossbows, satellite phones, protective vests, helmets, uniforms, more than 170,000 euros in cash and kilos of gold and silver coins and bars .

Evidence provided additional names

In addition, the investigators discovered around 100 so-called “non-disclosure agreements” that are said to have been signed by members of the network. In it, it was apparently agreed not to disclose the group’s plans. Penalties should have been listed for violations – up to the death penalty.

By evaluating the numerous pieces of evidence, including more than 400 digital artifacts, the investigators are said to have finally come across other suspects in the past few months who are connected to the “Reich Citizens” network around Heinrich XIII. Prince Reuss is said to have had connections. Apparently, previously unknown participants in chat groups or people who had appeared in monitored phone calls could be identified.