The number of suspects identified after large-scale anti-terrorist raids in Germany at the beginning of December has increased to 55 people, the German news agency DPA reports.
The initial police raids last December targeted a suspected terror group linked to the far-right Reichsbürger movement in several German states, Austria and Italy.
At the time, 25 people were arrested for their involvement in plotting the coup, including a former member of parliament from the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), an aristocrat and a number of retired and retired army officers. They are accused of being part of a “domestic terrorist movement” that seeks to overthrow the state.
WATCH In total, German police raided 130 addresses in seven different federal states. Special forces arrived armed to the teeth in balaclavas and shields.
Authorities have so far seized more than €420,000 in cash and precious metals, according to security sources.
The newspaper Der Spiegel reported that about 50 kilograms of gold and other precious metals were found.
“Reichsbürger” are people who do not recognize the authority of the modern German state or its democratic structures and institutions. They claim that the German Reich (1871-1945) simply continues to exist. The number of members of the movement increased. There are now between 21,000 and 23,000 followers, some of them aggressive.
Twenty-two of those arrested are accused of being members of a terrorist organization that tried to overthrow the political system in Germany.
A former German special forces officer arrested in Italy is currently challenging his extradition to Germany in a higher court.
With the exception of the Russian woman, all the suspects had German citizenship.
Source : HLN