German authorities arrested 25 people in Germany on Wednesday for allegedly planning to overthrow the government, according to The New York Times (NYT).
Approximately 3,000 police and Special Forces officers detained individuals who authorities believe were members of a domestic terrorist organization that formed in late 2021 and sought to overthrow the government to form their own state.
A prosecutor said Wednesday that the individuals were part of a group that believed “Germany is currently ruled by members of a so-called deep state,” according to the NYT. (RELATED: Germany’s Defense Pledges Are Uncertain As Costs Of War Bite, Experts Say)
Prosecutors also alleged members of the group were influenced by the conspiracy theorists QAnon and a right-wing German conspiracy group that believes Germany‘s post World War II government is nothing more than a corporation set up by the Allies.
Police also arrested two other individuals in Austria and Italy, according to the report.
Breaking News: Germany arrested dozens of people suspected of supporting a domestic terror organization that was planning to overthrow the government. https://t.co/qTyRh4dRHn
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 7, 2022
The group wanted “to overcome the existing state order in Germany and to establish its own form of state, the outlines of which have already been worked out,” prosecutors reportedly said. “The members of the organization were aware that this goal can only be achieved through the use of military means and violence against state representatives. This also included commissioning killings.”
The group also planned to attack the German Parliament building with weapons and members of the group underwent organized arms training, according to the NYT.
Prosecutors were reportedly investigating 52 suspects in total.