The conspiracy group dismantled on Wednesday in Germany, which planned to overthrow democratic institutions, had many weapons and was therefore potentially dangerous, the head of the criminal police said on Thursday. “We still have a dangerous mix of people who follow irrational beliefs, some with a lot of money, others in possession of weapons and with a plan that they want to implement (…) and that that’s why it’s dangerous and that’s why we intervened”, explained on the public channel ARD the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Münch.
Weapons found in 50 raided locations
“The searches show it too”, with weapons discovered in 50 of the places searched, ranging from “crossbows to rifles and ammunition and this shows that it is not harmless”, he detailed . Other arrests are likely to occur, he said. “We have identified other people whose status in relation to this group we do not yet know exactly,” explained Holger Münch.
The survey targets a total of 54 people. Among them, 25 were arrested during the crackdown on Wednesday morning in the investigation into this cell, fueled by the ideology of the “Reichsbürger”, the “Citizens of the Reich”, an extremist movement which has gained momentum with health restrictions.
Preparations to enter the Bundestag?
Justice suspects them of “having made concrete preparations to violently enter the German Bundestag”, the Chamber of Deputies in Berlin, “with a small armed group”, according to a press release from the prosecution. A scenario reminiscent of the assault on the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump in the United States in January 2021. “It should not be assumed that a group comprising a few dozen (members), perhaps a few hundred, is able to really question the state system in Germany”, however tempered Holger Münch.
The group had been under surveillance “since the spring of this year”, for his part clarified on RTL Thomas Haldenwang, head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (internal intelligence). “This is the first time that nationwide networking has taken place with very concrete plans,” he added, pointing out that there were “plans to overthrow the government, plans to actually implement a reversal”. The Reichsbürger movement has, according to him, about 21,000 people. “We estimate that 10% are oriented towards violence”.