The far-right Reichsburger movement in Germany, whose members were arrested for planning a coup in December 2022, ultimately aimed to detain the country's chancellor and ministers during a parliamentary session, a report said Sunday.
According to government sources cited by Bild newspaper, the coup suspects were aiming to live telecast their act.
Followers of the Reichsburger movement reject the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany and believe that the country is governed by members of a so-called "deep state.”
Many refuse to pay taxes and they are often in conflict with authorities.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency BfV estimates that the movement has around 23,000 followers.
The Reichsburgers have no leadership or "cells" but are loosely associated with each other only by their common ideas that aren't even concrete. In a 2016 shootout, a Reichsburger-linked man killed an officer and wounded two more. He was later sentenced to life in prison.
