Germany’s capital

A colourful band of conspiracists has been arrested, accused of plotting to overthrow the German parliament. Details of the plot have triggered comparisons to last year’s insurrection at the US Capitol, write Souad Mekhennet and

The 25 people arrested for allegedly plotting to storm the German parliament subscribe to a variety of conspiracy theories, including QAnon. But officials warn it would be naive to dismiss them as cranks.

‘‘Of course, there are many busybodies who tell confused stories after drinking alcohol,’’ Justice Minister Marco Buschmann tweeted. ‘‘Here, however, there were such strong suspicions that the group wanted to take violent action.’’

That included plans to use arms to storm the Reichstag.

The details of the suspected plot triggered comparisons to the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol last year. German politicians raised it as a reminder of what can happen when anti-constitutional plans are allowed to manifest.

‘‘At the latest since January 6, 2021, we have known that anti-democratic speech can also be followed by actions directed against democracy and parliament,’’ said Greens parliamentarian Konstantin von Notz. ‘‘Today, the German security authorities have succeeded in putting a stop to such plans to seize power.’’

The suspects appear to be drawn mostly from the Reichsbu¨rger movement, whose members are united in a belief that Germany is run by a ‘‘deep state’’, and prosecutors say they were prepared to use violence to carry out their aim of replacing the existing order with their own form of government.

They had planned out the structure of the state apparatus they hoped to install, including departments of health, justice and foreign affairs.

Prosecutors say Heinrich XIII, Prince of Reuss, a 71-yearold descendant of a royal dynasty from the German state of Thuringia, was head of the group’s central ‘‘council’’. ‘‘Since November 2021, the members of the ‘council’ have regularly met in secret to plan the intended takeover of power in Germany and the establishment of their own state structures,’’ the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Members believed that ‘‘liberation’’ would be assisted by the intervention of the ‘‘Alliance’’ – a secret society of military and governments, including those of Russia and the United States. Heinrich XIII had reached out to Russian representatives in Germany, the prosecutor’s office said – though it added there were no indications of a positive response.

The arrested suspects also include Birgit MalsackWinkemann, a former parliamentarian from the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity. At one point she had been slated to be justice minister. At the time of her arrest, she was an active judge at the Berlin Regional Court.

The council also had a military arm, which would have been involved in the armed takeover and was in charge of procuring weapons, the statement said. This body included former members of the armed forces, and tried to recruit current members of the military and police.

The security official said the raids were carried out with caution, as some suspects were known to be licensed weapons holders. But it was unclear if any illegal arms were found. While most of the arrests were carried out in Germany, one suspect was detained in Italy and another in Austria.

The network was unearthed in relation to investigations into four people who were arrested in April on suspicion of plotting to kidnap German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, the official said.

‘‘We are seeing a dangerous cocktail of people from the

‘‘More details . . . raise doubts about whether these people were even clever enough to plan and carry out such a coup.’’

Reichsbu¨rger movement, right-wing extremists, neoNazis and others who build on this group with their conspiracy theories,’’ he added. The group included doctors and lawyers ‘‘with the prince on top’’.

The Reichsbu¨rger, or ‘‘Reich citizen’’, movement subscribes to a state based on Germany’s imperial borders. Modern laws and governments are considered illegitimate, and some members believe descendants of former German royal families should be reinstated.

It is a small, extremist fringe but has been growing in recent years, rising to more prominence during the pandemic, when its members took to the street alongside a mix of conspiracy theorists and other right-wing groups.

The movement is made up of small groups active across borders and online, with German intelligence warning that some subgroups have rapidly expanded their ranks.

In 2021, the movement was estimated by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency to include about 21,000 people, about 10% of whom were ‘‘violence-oriented’’.

‘‘The investigations provide a glimpse into the abyss of a terrorist threat from the Reichsbu¨rger milieu,’’ said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. ‘‘The suspected terrorist organisation uncovered today is – according to the state of the investigations – driven by violent overthrow fantasies and conspiracy ideologies.’’

The barracks of a unit of Germany’s Special Forces Command, known as the KSK, was among the locations raided, according to Der Spiegel magazine. The German Defence Ministry disbanded one unit of the elite counterterrorism force and announced a restructuring in 2020 because of the suspected extreme right-wing ties of its members.

Some politicians have raised questions about how capable the group was of carrying out its plans. ‘‘More details keep coming to light that raise doubts about whether these people were even clever enough to plan and carry out such a coup,’’ Greens parliamentarian Sara Nanni posted on social network Mastodon.

‘‘The fact is: no matter how crude their ideas are and how hopeless their plans, even the attempt is dangerous!’’ –