The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, today described as “serious” the presence of the ex-deputy of the extreme right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the alleged terrorist organization that was dismantled on Wednesday and that it intended to take over the parliament (Bundestag).
“Obviously it is a more than remarkable and very serious case,” said Scholz, in a meeting with the heads of regional governments, regarding the operations carried out on Wednesday in 11 federal states, in which 25 people were arrested.
The police operation demonstrated “the capacity for action of our democracy” and the determination to act “with all firmness” against these groups, he added.
Among the 25 involved, 23 of whom were arrested today alone, is judge and former AfD deputy Birgit Malsack-Winkemann.
According to the investigation opened by the General Prosecutor’s Office, the group is linked to the “Reichsbürger” or “Citizens of the Reich”, a radical movement that does not recognize the borders, the constitutional order or the current authorities of Germany.
The organization consisted of a kind of advisory council and an armed wing, Attorney General Peter Frank said, and its goal was “to destroy the constitutional democratic order in Germany through violence and military means.”
The leader of the group is supposedly an aristocrat, identified as Heinrich KR and calling himself Heinrich XIII or Prince of Reuss.
He is a 71-year-old businessman based in Frankfurt, active in real estate and known for spreading conspiracy theories.
Among those detained was a Russian citizen, whose task was allegedly to enter into negotiations with Russia after the attack on parliament.
In total, 3,000 agents participated in the police operation and 150 homes or offices were raided, distributed in 11 federal entities.
As reported by the German newspaper Die Welt on Wednesday, German judge Birgit Malsack-Winkemann has resigned from her post.
Source: Observadora
