Trial of far-right group seeking overthrow of German state starts
The high-profile trial of nine suspected members of a far-right group headed by German aristocrat Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuß on charges of terrorism and high treason started in Stuttgart on Monday.
The case, which focuses on a plan to violently overthrow the German government, is one of the largest terror trials in the country's history.
The nine suspected members of the Reichsbürger (Reich Citizens) movement, a group that rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state, are accused of membership of a terrorist organization and "preparation of a treasonous undertaking."
One faces an additional charge of attempted murder in relation to shots fired at police officers as they searched his home in Reutlingen to the south of Stuttgart in March last year. Officers were injured.
Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office said that the establishment of militarily organized units was in, some instances, far advanced.
In two cases, the so-called "homeland security" companies could have become active independently, a representative of the authority said on Monday at the reading of the indictment.
Within one military company, those responsible for recruiting further personnel had already been named, the indictment read.
According to the indictment, these companies were supposed to carry out political "purges" in their area of responsibility after a takeover of the government by the group.
The prosecutor also spoke of lists of enemies, with the names of district administrators, medical officers and bailiffs.
Two of the nine men, aged between 40 and 60, said they intended to comment on the allegations at trial. It is unclear when they will testify.
The accused are alleged to have joined the Reichsbürger movement during 2022 and been active in various roles for the military wing. They are currently in custody.
Reuß himself, who came to public attention following raids across Germany and abroad in December 2022, is to be tried later this year.
A total of 27 defendants are accused of plotting the violent overthrow of the German government, while accepting the likelihood that people would die. The plan was to install Reuß at the head of a new form of government.
The accused include former soldiers, a former Berlin judge and member of parliament for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The Stuttgart trial is to focus on the group's military wing which is charged with attempting to overthrow the state by force of arms. According to the charges, they had started forming 280 armed units.
The case involving Prince Reuß has been split into three trials - for practical reasons and due to the sheer number of suspects.
In Frankfurt, the alleged ringleaders, including Reuß, are on trial from May 21. In Munich, the other alleged members will stand trial from June 18.
Some of the 22 defence lawyers in the Stuttgart trial criticized the splitting of the case between the three higher regional courts. They requested that the Stuttgart proceedings be discontinued or suspended and that the three trials be combined.
They said sn effective criminal defence was not possible because the findings in one trial could only be incorporated into the others with difficulty. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office was always present in all three trials, but this was not logistically possible for the defence lawyers, it was argued.
Presiding judge Joachim Holzhausen rejected the application for a stay of proceedings. The request for the three trials to be combined was postponed.
