Three men were arrested in Bavaria on Thursday as part of an investigation into the far-right Reichsbuerger group, suspected of plotting to violently overthrow the last German government and the constitutional order, Munich prosecutors said.
The Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) movement rejects modern German democracy as illegitimate and its followers argue they are citizens of a monarchy that endured after Germany's defeat in World War One, despite its formal abolition.
Dozens of members, whose leaders include German aristocrat and property investor Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, are on trial across Germany after the suspected plot was uncovered in 2022.
The defendants have denied charges of terrorism and high treason.
Prosecutors said they believed the men arrested on Thursday, who were not named, supported the movement or were involved in plot preparations. Specifically, they are suspected of taking part in firearms training in 2022 at a former army shooting range with members of the group who have already been arrested.
"According to the available information, these shooting exercises served to prepare for a possible attack on the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament)," prosecutors said.
Searches were conducted at eight locations in the states of Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia early on Thursday.
The 'Reichsbürger' movement
According to the German Domestic Intelligence services, the “Reichsbürger” movement in Germany consists of individuals and groups who reject the legitimacy of the Federal Republic and its legal system, often invoking the former German Reich or conspiracy-driven narratives to justify their stance.
While only a small fraction are officially classified as right-wing extremists, many within the movement promote antisemitic opinions. These range from coded conspiracy theories to open Holocaust denial and claims blaming Jews for social or personal issues.
Members of the movement rely heavily on the internet and social media to disseminate their ideas, though they are also active offline. Many of their arguments are legally unfounded. The movement denies the authority of the modern German state, asserting instead that the historical Reich remains the legitimate sovereign power.