German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has banned the far-right group "Kingdom of Germany". Four of its alleged leaders were detained during raids in several German states, UNN reports with reference to DPA.
Details
The group, which reportedly has about six thousand followers, is accused of creating a "counter-state" and building criminal economic structures. The prosecutor's office said that four men, including the group's founder Peter Fitzek, were taken into custody.
The men, aged between 37 and 59, are due to appear before an investigating judge at the Federal Court in Karlsruhe on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to the Interior Ministry, police have been conducting raids on properties of key members of the group since Tuesday morning, including in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
In addition, it is noted that the group has been running illegal banking and insurance businesses for years through its affiliated structures.
Dobrindt said that members of the group used anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to support their stated sovereignty. He added that such behavior cannot be tolerated in a state governed by the rule of law.
Who are Reichsbürger
The so-called Reichsbürger, or "Citizens of the Reich," believe that the modern German republic illegally replaced the German Reich, which was founded in 1871 and existed under the Nazi regime until 1945.
They do not recognize democratic institutions such as parliament, courts or laws and refuse to pay taxes, social security contributions or fines. The "Kingdom of Germany" group was founded in 2012 by Peter Fitzek, who was born in Saxony-Anhalt. He appointed himself its head.
Addition
The Federal Prosecutor's Office, which deals with terrorism and espionage in Germany, today accused a former employee of politician Maximilian Krah from the far-right AfD party and his alleged accomplice of spying for the Chinese secret service.
In Germany, citizen Dieter S. was detained for participating in the "DPR" and spying for the Russian Federation. The suspect was monitoring US military bases and planning sabotage on supply routes to Ukraine.