Frankfurt: A prince, a former member of parliament and an ex-army officer will go on trial on Tuesday in connection with a conspiracy theory to attack the German parliament and overthrow the government.
In one of the biggest cases heard by German courts in a decade, prosecutors have accused a group of “plots” to attack the Bundestag and take lawmakers hostage.
The trial in the regional court in Frankfurt is the second of three lawsuits filed against the defendants in connection with the scheme.
Eight people suspected of plotting a coup will appear in Frankfurt, as well as a woman accused of supporting an attempt to overthrow Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government.
Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss, a young aristocrat and businessman, is one of the leaders of the group that will attend the trial in Frankfurt, and is called the interim head of state after the current government is overthrown.
The sensational plan foiled by the authorities at the end of 2022 is the most extreme example of the growing threat of violence on Germany’s political borders.
The plotters are said to have compiled an “enemy list” inspired by “conspiracy myths” including the global QAnon movement.
It also belongs to the German Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) scene – a group of extremists and gun enthusiasts who reject the legitimacy of the current German republic.
According to prosecutors, the conspirators controlled Germany as a secret “super state” and waited for a coup signal from the governments of the countries they trusted.
A total of 26 people are on trial in the highly complex case, which is being held in three different courts.
Nine members of the group’s “military arm” went on trial in Stuttgart at the end of April, and a third trial is expected to begin in June in Munich.
The trial was held under tight security in a purpose-built multi-million euro facility in Frankfurt.
Standing next to Reuss are ex-soldiers Ruediger von Pescatore, Maximilian Eder and Peter Woerner, who are said to have founded the group in July 2021.
Prosecutors said the defendants included several members of the “council” that would replace the government after the coup.
Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a judge and former member of parliament for the far-right Alternative for Germany, said it would be in line with the justice portfolio.
According to media reports, the entry into the parliament building allowed the group to scout the site for the coup.
Michael Fritsch, a former Hanover police officer, said he would take over the Interior Department.
