Far-right Germans took Trump supporters in Capitol attack as model
According to German sources, the cell was headed by Heinrich XIII, Prince of Reuss, a 71-year-old German who has been preparing for the uprising since November 2021.
German news outlet Der Spiegel reported on Wednesday that the German extremists who attempted to storm the Bundestag earlier today were taking Trump supporters as models when they carried out an attack on the US Capitol on January 6.
Using more than 3,000 security and law enforcement personnel, Germany arrested overnight 25 people suspected of plotting to overthrow the government.
Of the 25 arrests, two were overseas in Italy and Austria. A manhunt for another 27 people is currently underway, according to the report.
Neo-Nazis, conspiracy theorists, and gun enthusiasts who disagree with the validity of the contemporary German republic make up the Reichsbuerger movement.
According to the report, the cell was headed by Heinrich XIII, Prince of Reuss, a 71-year-old German nobleman who has been preparing the uprising since November 2021 and has gained followers through his controversial political views.
It was also plotting to storm the German Parliament and kidnap MPs, an act that would trigger nationwide riots and prepare for the establishment of a transitionary military government under Heinrich XIII.
The new government would then begin talks with Russia, the US, the UK, and France to gain international recognition.
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Heinrich XIII reportedly said he had contacted Russian officials, but investigators said there is no evidence pointing out to be true.
On its part, the Russian Embassy clarified it has no links to any illegal groups in Germany.
Prior to the operation, members had signed a confidentiality agreement, and anyone who violated it would face the death penalty.
They carried Iridium satellite phones worth 20,000 euros ($21,000) that would have worked even if the electricity network had collapsed.
According to Der Spiegel, the conspirators were inspired by the Reichsburger (Citizens of the Reich); a group of conspiracy theorists who believe the state is an artificial construct that illegitimately replaced the Deutsche Reich of the Nazi period.
They are also influenced by the US radical community QAnon which believes the 2020 presidential elections were rigged and that Trump was allegedly leading a war on the "global pedophile lobby."
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