Oliver Towfigh Nia
December 10, 2022•Update: December 12, 2022
BERLIN
The German far-right group accused of plotting a coup had compiled an “enemy list” that included top officials, among them Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, according to a local media report.
A list found during a police raid at the house of a member of the Reichsburger (Reich Citizens) movement also included the names of Christian Democratic Union leaders Friedrich Merz and Armin Laschet, and Social Democrats co-chairwoman Saskia Esken and general secretary Kevin Kuhnert, the Berlin-based Taz newspaper reported on Friday.
The list also had names of well-known journalists and figures from German public broadcasters.
German authorities arrested more than two dozen suspects this week over a plot to overthrow the state by violence and military means.
The group, which included far-right figures and ex-military officers, had procured weapons and developed concrete plans in recent months to create nationwide chaos and to storm the Bundestag by violence, according to the prosecutors.
Heinrich Reuss – a descendant of a noble family also known as Prince Heinrich XIII – was the leading figure in the group.
Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a former lawmaker of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), was also a key figure, who was picked for the role of justice minister in the coup regime, prosecutors said.
Ex-military officers, one serving soldier from the Special Forces Command, two non-active soldiers, and several reservists were also arrested.
Authorities said 23 of the suspects were in custody as of Friday, with 22 accused of being members of the terror organization.
Most of the suspects were followers of the far-right Reichsburger movement, who reject the legitimacy of the German government and believe the country is governed by members of a so-called “deep state.”
