German police set to make more arrests after coup plot thwarted - Reuters

BERLIN, Dec 8 (Reuters) - German constabulary program further arrests arsenic they analyse a far-right radical that prosecutors accidental was preparing to overthrow the authorities and instal a erstwhile subordinate of a German royal household arsenic nationalist leader.

Investigators person said the group, galore of whom were members of the Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) movement, planned to instal aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss arsenic person of a caller authorities and recovered grounds that immoderate members planned to tempest the Bundestag and apprehension lawmakers.

Heinrich is simply a descendant of the royal House of Reuss successful the eastbound authorities of Thuringia. Aged 71, helium has been moving arsenic a existent property developer and was arrested successful the fiscal superior Frankfurt connected Wednesday.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson said connected Thursday the raids carried retired the erstwhile time were the astir extended "executive measures" against the Reichsbuerger ever seen successful Germany.

On the information hazard posed by the Reichsbuerger she added: "The imaginable information remains precocious and the information authorities are monitoring the concern with large attention."

Nineteen of the alleged plotters were remanded successful custody connected Wednesday, portion different six were acceptable to spell earlier a justice connected Thursday, prosecutors said. Many of the suspects are implicit 50, and they encompass right-wingers, COVID deniers and radical who cull the modern German state.

Holger Muench, caput of the national constabulary office, told broadcaster ARD connected Thursday the fig of suspects successful the lawsuit present stood astatine 54, and that that fig could rise.

The find of the alleged crippled came arsenic a daze successful 1 of Europe's astir unchangeable democracies and largest economy.

"It’s not truly comprehensible: you perceive astir specified plans from different countries but for this to hap extracurricular my beforehand door?" said Melanie Merle, who lives adjacent to the flat successful the fiscal superior Frankfurt wherever Heinrich was arrested.

"The authorities we person is not perfect but astir apt amended than what they had planned," she laughed.

Neither the House of Reuss nor Heinrich's bureau responded to requests for comment.

A erstwhile parliamentary lawmaker from the far-right Alternative For Germany (AfD) was besides among those detained, according to prosecutors.

CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Prosecutors said the radical was inspired by the heavy authorities conspiracy theories of Germany's Reichsbuerger and QAnon, whose advocates were among those arrested aft the storming of the U.S. Capitol successful January 2021.

Members of the Reichsbuerger bash not recognise modern-day Germany and its borders arsenic a morganatic state. Some are devoted to the aged German "Reich" (empire) nether a monarchy, with immoderate besides sharing Nazi ideas and believing Germany is nether subject occupation.

Police connected Thursday searched the Waidmannsheil hunting lodge successful Thuringia, said to beryllium to Heinrich.

The lawman politician of the municipality said section radical had been sent a letter, telling them passports issued by German authorities were not valid.

"All citizens of Bad Lobenstein received a missive this past summertime successful which we were told that we were not German due to the fact that our passports were not German," Andree Burkhardt told Reuters.

"We were past fixed the accidental to use for our German root documents with the Reuss administration. This of people provoked a immense outcry among the population,” helium added.

Thuringia interior curate Georg Maier singled retired the AfD, which is successful the authorities parliament, for becoming an interface for right-wing extremists and spreading what helium called fantasies astir toppling the state.

"People are scared, and the AfD takes vantage of that and offers elemental solutions," said Maier, who is from Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party.

The AfD successful a connection connected Wednesday condemned the far-right group's efforts and expressed assurance successful the authorities' quality to bring clarity to the concern rapidly and completely.

Reporting by Miranda Murray Writing by Keith Weir Editing by Kirsti Knolle, Toby Chopra, Raissa Kasolowsky and Nick Macfie

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