More arrests expected in German coup plot in coming days, say authorities

 Police escorts a person after 25 suspected members and supporters of a far-right group were detained during raids across Germany, in Karlsruhe, Germany December 7, 2022. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

BERLIN — German authorities expect further arrests and raids in the coming days in connection with a far-right group that prosecutors say were preparing a violent overthrow of the state to install as national leader a former member of a German royal family.

“Based on my experience, there is usually a second wave of arrests,” Georg Maier, the interior minister of the German state of Thuringia, told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Thursday.

The envisaged new leader Heinrich XIII P.R., who uses the title prince is a descendent of the royal House of Reuss in Thuringia.

Twenty-five members and supporters of the group were detained on Wednesday in raids involving some 3,000 security personnel that Maier described as unprecedented in modern German history.

Holger Muench, head of the federal police office, told broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday evening that he also expects more suspects to come to light in the coming days.

Maier singled out the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is in the state parliament, for becoming an interface for right-wing extremists and spreading what he called fantasies about toppling the state.

“People are scared, and the AfD takes advantage of that and offers simple solutions,” said Maier.

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