FRANKFURT, Germany: A prince, a former lawmaker and former army officers will go on trial today (Tuesday) accused of masterminding a conspiracy theory-driven plot to attack the German parliament and overthrow the government.
In one of the biggest cases heard by German courts in a decade, prosecutors accuse the group of preparing a “treasonous undertaking ” to attack the Bundestag and take lawmakers hostage.
The trial at the Frankfurt Regional Court is the second of three trials against the defendants in connection with the coup plot.
Eight coup plot suspects will appear in Frankfurt, as well as a woman accused of supporting their bid to topple Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government.
Underage aristocrat and businessman Prince Heinrich XIII. Reuss, one of the group’s leaders who will stand trial in Frankfurt, is said to have been in line to become interim head of state after the current government is toppled.
The sensational plan, which authorities foiled in late 2022, is the most high-profile example of the growing threat of violence from the political fringes in Germany.
READ ALSO: Saudi Foreign Minister Calls Acting Iranian Foreign Minister
The alleged plotters are said to have been inspired from “conspiracy myths” including the global QAnon movement and compiled “lists of enemies”.
They also belonged to the German Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) scene — an extremists group also comprising gun enthusiasts who reject the legitimacy of the modern German republic.
Alleged leaders
According to prosecutors, the conspirators believed that Germany was controlled by a hidden “deep state” and were waiting for a signal from a fabricated international “alliance” of governments to launch their coup.
The proceedings in a very complex case, in which a total of 26 people are facing trial, are taking place in three different courts.
Nine members of the group’s “military branch” appeared in court in Stuttgart at the end of April, with a third trial scheduled to begin in June in Munich.
The hearings are being held under tight security, with the Frankfurt court being held in a purpose-built, multi-million-euro facility.
Among those in the dock alongside Reuss will be ex-soldiers Ruediger von Pescatore, Maximilian Eder and Peter Woerner, who are said to have founded the group in July 2021.
According to prosecutors, the defendants also include several members of the “council” that was supposed to replace the government after the coup.
