
German prince-linked coup plot sees three more arrests
Prosecutors revealed the 2022 plot aimed to overthrow the government by attacking the German parliament.
The plan allegedly sought to install Prince Reuss, an aristocrat and businessman, as the new head of state.
Authorities linked the conspiracy to the extremist Reichsbuerger movement, which denies the legitimacy of modern Germany.
Conspiracy theories, including QAnon, reportedly influenced the group, which compiled 'lists of enemies.'
The three men detained are accused of belonging to a terrorist organisation and preparing high treason.
Around 300 officers conducted raids in Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia as part of the operation.
Prince Reuss and other key figures were first arrested in December 2022.
Currently, 27 suspects, including Reuss, are on trial in Munich, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt courts.
The latest arrests involve suspects who allegedly underwent firearms training in Bavaria in April 2022.
Prosecutors believe the training was meant to prepare for an attack on Berlin's Bundestag.
Other accused include a former AfD politician, an ex-army lieutenant colonel, and a retired KSK special forces soldier. – AFP

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Rights groups sue German ministers over deportation of Afghans from Pakistan
FILE PHOTO: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attends the London Sudan conference, marking the two-year anniversary of the Sudan conflict, at Lancaster House, in London, Britain April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/Pool/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) -Advocacy groups filed a criminal case against Germany's foreign and interior ministers on Friday, accusing them of failing to protect Afghan nationals in Pakistan with German admission approvals from deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Pakistan has begun deporting documented Afghan refugees ahead of a September 1 deadline, a move the United Nations warns could force more than one million to leave. Among those at risk are more than 2,000 Afghans approved for relocation to Germany under programmes for people deemed vulnerable under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The relocations have been put on hold, pending a review by Germany's new conservative-led government as it tries to deliver on its election promise to curb migration. Refugee group PRO ASYL and the Patenschaftsnetzwerk Ortskraefte, a non-profit supporting former local staff who worked for Germany, filed a criminal complaint with Berlin prosecutors against Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. By allowing Pakistan to deport Afghans already accepted into German resettlement programmes, they said, the ministers had committed "abandonment" and "failure to render assistance" to people at risk under Section 221 of the Criminal Code. They said more than 400 people approved for relocation to Germany had been arrested in Pakistan in recent weeks and 34 people had already been deported. Deportees face grave risks under Taliban rule, including imprisonment, mistreatment or execution, the groups said. Victoria Lies, a lawyer who represents several of those affected, said some of her clients had been separated from their families, and in one case, a girl had been sent back to Afghanistan alone. The foreign and interior ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. However, Wadephul said on Friday his ministry was in "high-level contact with the Pakistani government to ensure the protection of these people and to provide rapid assistance to those who have been deported or arrested in recent days". The interior ministry has said it cannot provide a timeline to determine the future of the admission programme but expects decisions soon. The two NGOs' complaint builds on a July 8 legal opinion commissioned by them, which said German officials could be criminally liable if they fail to prevent the deportations. It adds to more than 80 lawsuits by affected Afghans seeking German government approval for their visas, with courts siding with them in some cases, though the interior ministry has appealed those rulings. (Reporting by Riham AlkousaaEditing by Gareth Jones)


The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
Australian wastewater analysis shows record highs in ice, cocaine use
SYDNEY: Wastewater analysis has shown record highs in consumption of methylamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in Australia, according to a report released on Friday, reported German press agency (dpa). The latest wastewater report by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) revealed that 22.2 tonnes of methylamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy) were consumed from August 2023 to August 2024. This represented a 34 per cent increase from the previous year, driven by increases in consumption of methylamphetamine, also known as ice or meth, with 12.8 tonnes. That amount was a 21 per cent year-on-year increase and the highest level ever recorded by the programme, which started in 2016. Cocaine and heroin use also saw record highs, with the former jumping up 69 per cent year-on-year to 6.8 tonnes, and heroin 14 per cent to 1.1 tonnes. MDMA use was up 49 per cent to 1.4 tonnes. The estimated street value of the four drugs dropped from A$$12.4 billion (US$8.06 billion) in 2022-23 to A$$11.5 billion in 2023-24. According to the ACIC, the increase in consumption of these illicit drugs in part is a reflection of their recovery following a slowdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'This is the first time over the life of the Programme that 3 drugs have been consumed at record high levels simultaneously and illustrates the long term resilience of these markets and their ability to recover from significant decreases in consumption caused by the COVID pandemic movement restrictions and hard border closures,' said ACIC boss Heather Cook. 'ACIC data modelling suggests that the increases in drug consumption for methylamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA are likely to continue to 2027, though most likely not at the same rate observed during the year ended August 2024,' Cook added. The data covers 14.5 million Australians - about 57 per cent of the population - and is based on wastewater samples collected from across the country in August and October. The report tracks drug consumption for 12 substances, both licit and illicit. - Bernama-dpa


The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Germany weighs fate of Afghans in Pakistan as deportations intensify
FILE PHOTO: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt attends a cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) -The German government is reviewing whether Afghans stranded in Pakistan while awaiting resettlement in Germany will indeed be allowed to go there, its interior minister said on Thursday, as Islamabad intensifies deportations of Afghans. Pakistan has begun to deport documented Afghan refugees ahead of its September 1 deadline for them to leave, according to the United Nations, a step that could see more than 1 million Afghans expelled from the country. Among them are more than 2,000 Afghans awaiting visas to travel to Germany under an admission programme designed to evacuate people considered to be at risk under Taliban rule in Pakistan's neighbour Afghanistan. A source familiar with the matter said detentions of Afghans for deportation over the border have continued, even during Pakistan's Independence Day holiday on Thursday. "People with German admission approval are being brought to the Torkham border (between Pakistan and Afghanistan) as we speak," the source told Reuters. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt confirmed that some Afghans in Germany's resettlement scheme "have recently drawn the attention of Pakistani authorities", and Berlin was in discussions with Islamabad over their status. "We are reviewing whether these people can actually leave for Germany. Whether this actually happens depends on the outcome of the review process," Dobrindt told journalists. Germany's admission programme for at-risk Afghans - launched in October 2022 by the centre-left government in office at the time - is now under review following February's migration-focused election won by conservatives. The new centre-right coalition intends to close the scheme, which had already been suspended pending an ongoing review. Since May 2021, Germany has admitted about 36,500 Afghans seen as vulnerable to Taliban crackdowns, but the conservative-led government says humanitarian migration now exceeds the country's integration capacity. On Wednesday, Germany's foreign ministry said it was in close contact with Pakistani authorities and using established emergency mechanisms to prevent deportations of Afghans. The interior ministry said it could not provide a timeline to determine the future of the admission programme but expects decisions soon. It did not say whether the increase in deportations from Pakistan would hasten a decision. (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Markus Wacket, Martin Schlicht and Leon Malherbe in Berlin, Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad; editing by Miranda Murray and Mark Heinrich)