JAKARTA - German officials are targeting further arrests in the coming days, along with investigations into right-wing groups that prosecutors say are preparing to overthrow the country and appoint former German royal family members as national leaders.
A former lawmaker from the far right of Alternative to Germany (AfD) was also among those detained, according to German prosecutors.
"Based on my experience, there are usually a second wave of arrests," Georg Maier, interior minister of the state of Thuringia, eastern Germany, told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
The alleged leader of the plot and their candidate for leader is a royal named Sarjan XIII Prince Reuss, a descendant of the Reuss royal family in Thuringia. A 71-year-old, he works as a real estate developer.
Neither the House of Reuss nor the office of Prince Reuss responded to requests for comment.
Earlier, twenty-five suspected members and supporters of the group were detained on Wednesday, in a raid involving some 3,000 security personnel, Maier described as unprecedented in modern German history.
Nine of the suspected gangs were detained on Wednesday, while six others are expected to stand trial before the judge on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Holger Muench, head of the federal police station, told broadcaster ARD on Thursday the number of suspects in the case now stands at 54, and that figure could continue to rise.
Police in their raids on Wednesday found equipment ranging from protective vests to bows, rifles and ammunition, Muech said, as well as plans to build a "land protection commander" and evidence of recruitment.
"We have a dangerous mix of people who follow irrational beliefs, some have a lot of money, others have weapons and plans to launch attacks and expand their structure," Muench said.
Although far-right groups have escalated in Germany, the discovery of the alleged gang shocked one of Europe's most stable and largest economies of democracy.
"This is not very understandable: did you hear about such a plan from other countries, but for this to happen outside my front door?" Melanie path, who lives close to an apartment in the Frankfurt financial capital where Prince Reuss was arrested.
"The government we have is not ideal, but maybe better than what they plan to do," he laughed.
Prosecutors said the group was inspired by the conspiracy theories of German states of Reichsbuerger and QAnon, whose supporters were among those arrested after the US Capitol raid in January 2021.
It is known that Reichsbuerger members (Warga Reich) do not recognize modern Germany and its borders as legitimate countries. Some serve in the ancient German "Reich" under the monarchy, with some also sharing Nazi ideas and believing that Germany is under military occupation.
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