Thousands of German police officers carried out raids across the country on Wednesday, arresting far-right extremists planning an armed coup of the government..More than 3,000 officers conducted searches at 130 sites across Germany, arresting members of the Reich Citizens movement. Supporters of the group reject the Republic of Germany in favour of the German Reich, which existed from 1871 to 1945..A total of 22 German citizens were detained on suspicion of "membership in a terrorist organization." Three other people are suspected of supporting the organization, and a further 27 others are being investigated..Prosecutors said the suspects, who believe the German government is controlled by the 'Deep State,' knew their aim of overthrowing the government could be achieved using force. As such, they had plans to storm parliament with a small armed group..The group allegedly had plans to install ringleader Heinrich XIII P.R. as the new German leader. They contacted Russian officials to negotiate a new order in the country once the government had been overthrown..Russia denied any involvement in the plot.."This appears to be a German internal problems," said spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. ."There can be no question of any Russian interference." .According to the German website Der Spiegel, one of the locations searched included the barracks of Germany's special forces unit KSK. The unit has been scrutinized over alleged far-right involvement by some soldiers..One of the people detained was identified as a judge and a former lawmaker with the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD). AdD has come under increasing scrutiny from Germany intelligence officials due to their ties to extremists..German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann described the police raids as an "anti-terrorism operation." German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the raids showed, "we know how to defend ourselves with full force against the enemies of democracy." .This is not the first time German law enforcement has taken action against the Reich Citizens. One group attempted to smuggle weapons and ammunition into Germany in an attempt to create its own militia in 2014, but it was disrupted by police raids..One police officer was killed and two were injured in an attempt to confiscate 31 firearms from a Reich Citizens member in 2016. The man was sentenced to prison for life, and the incident led to calls for increased surveillance of the movement..Four members of the Reich Citizens were arrested in April for attempting to overthrow the government. They had planned to use explosives to destroy electrical substations and power lines, ultimately creating conditions that would lead to a civil war.
