German police raids target group suspected of far-right plot to overthrow government

Published

3 years ago

December 7, 2022

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Around 3,000 police officers have carried out raids across Germany to stop an alleged plot by a far-right terrorist group to overthrow the government.

Federal prosecutors said 25 suspected members and supporters of the Reichsburger group – the so-called Reich Citizens movement – were detained during the raids in 11 of the country’s 16 states early on Wednesday.

Twenty-two German citizens were detained on suspicion of “membership in a terrorist organisation”, and three others, including a Russian citizen, are suspected of supporting the group.

The Reichsburger movement brings together several far-right groups whose aim is to get rid of the current government and replace it with their own.

According to the authorities members of the group have been preparing to “carry out actions based on their ideology” since November 2021.

Armed police are reported to have stormed up to 100 properties across Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Lower Saxony, and Thuringia, as well as in the Austrian town of Kitzbuehel and the Italian city of Perugia.

A 71-year-old, who goes by the name Prince Heinrich XIII, and who is thought to come from the long-standing German aristocratic family of House Ruess, is believed to be central to the group’s activities and was among those arrested.

Prosecutors said the group planned to install him as Germany’s new leader.

According to German news site, Bild, he had contacted Russian officials with the aim of negotiating a new order in the country, and the group had also selected who would be in charge of various ministries within its new government.

Prince Heinrich XIII was allegedly assisted in this by a Russian woman, Vitalia B.

“According to current investigations there is no indication however that the persons contacted responded positively to his request,” prosecutors said.

The Russian embassy in Berlin denied having links to the far-right group, while the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “This appears to be a German internal problem.”

He added: “There can be no question of any Russian interference.”

The current head of the House of Reuss-Greiz, Prince Heinrich XIV Reuss of Greiz, earlier this year distanced himself from his relative.

In an interview with the German news site OTZ in August, he described him as a “confused old man” who had not been in contact with the family for 14 years.

Meanwhile, German interior minister Nancy Faese said the raids showed the country “fighting back against the enemies of democracy”.

In a post on Twitter, she wrote: “The investigations give us a glimpse into the abyss of a terrorist threat by Reichsburger.

Analysis: Germany’s focus on the far right has intensified

German security services’ focus on the far right has intensified in the last few years – an increased vigilance which helped lead to Wednesday’s arrests.

The killing of a local politician and the deadly attack on a synagogue in 2019 are among recent events which highlighted the threat posed by the far right.

The “Reichsburger” movement which denies the existence of the modern German state presents a consistently high level of danger following a rise in numbers, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency said.

“Above all, the propaganda surrounding an imminent ‘Day X’ can generate considerable pressure to act in such clandestine groups and ultimately be the trigger for serious acts of violence,” Thomas Haldenwang said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

Despite this, some have suggested the group arrested for allegedly planning a violent coup may not have been very capable.

“More details keep coming to light that raise doubts about whether these people were even clever enough to plan and carry out such a coup,” said Sara Nanni, a Green Party politician.

But experts said it was important not to underestimate groups inspired by deep state conspiracy theories from groups like “Reichsburger” and QAnon whose followers were also involved in the storming of the US Capitol in 2021.

Professor Dr Hajo Funke, political scientist, Free University of Berlin explained the public should be alert.

“There is no way that we have a similar danger, like in Washington at the 6 January last year. This is not the case. Things are controlled, but they [the groups] are dangerous in another dimension; by their philosophies and their ideas, their paranoiac thinking and by violent attacks against some especially migrants and also politicians.”

“The suspected terrorist organisation uncovered today is – according to the state of the investigation – driven by violent overthrow fantasies and conspiracy ideologies.

“The further investigations will provide a clear picture of how far the plans for overthrow had already progressed.

“Militant Reichsburger are united by their hatred of democracy, of our state and of people who stand up for our community.

“That is why we are taking action against such endeavours with all the consequences of the rule of law. We will continue to take this hard line.”

Der Spiegel reported that the barracks of Germany’s special forces unit the KSK in the southwestern town of Calw was one of the locations raided.

The unit has in the past been scrutinised over alleged far-right involvement by some soldiers.

A female judge – identified by prosecutors as Birgit M-W – was also detained during the raids. She is said to have links with the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Known by its German acronym AfD, the party has increasingly come under scrutiny by German security services due to its ties with extremists.

World

Gazan doctor being held in ‘inhumane’ conditions in Israeli jail, says lawyer

Published

3 hours ago

July 22, 2025

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Gazan doctor being held in 'inhumane' conditions in Israeli jail, says lawyer

The lawyer of a high-profile Gazan doctor detained by Israel since last December has spoken of her shock over his condition after being allowed a rare visit to see him in jail.

Ghaid Qassem has told Sky News that Dr Hussam Abu Safiya – the director of the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza – survives on very little food, including two spoonfuls of rice a day and has lost a third of his body weight. She said he has been subjected to severe beatings.

“As a young woman, seeing an older man – a respected doctor like Hussam Abu Safiya – broken in front of me, degraded, surrounded by prison guards, in the worst possible condition, how am I supposed to feel?” she said.

“The conditions of his detention are extremely harsh, inhumane, with continuous assaults.

“This is the sixth time he has been brutally attacked.

“The most recent incident was on 24 June 24, which coincided with the end of Israel‘s war with Iran and the strike on Soroka Hospital in Beersheba [Israel].

“It seems the prison authorities decided to take revenge. They raided Abu Safiya’s cell and began assaulting him.

“He was beaten, sustaining bruises on his head, neck, and back. Afterwards, he requested medical treatment because he felt abnormal heartbeats, but his request was denied.”

It is thought that since his detention Dr Abu Safiya has been held at a number of Israeli jails.

His lawyer said she was allowed access to meet with him at Ofer prison, near Jerusalem.

Ms Qassem said there was no proper healthcare or hygiene and it is claimed the paediatrician is being held in an underground cell.

“They can’t shower, their clothes aren’t replaced, not even underwear,” she said. “Scabies is rampant, skin diseases are widespread and the most basic medical attention is only given when they see you’re on the verge of death.”

Dr Abu Safiya was last seen in Gaza, wearing his white doctor’s coat as he walked through the rubble outside his hospital towards an Israeli tank in December 2024.

Before then he had become a well-known voice and face of the Kamal Adwan hospital, sharing videos about the siege of the medical facility and explaining how staff were struggling to continue working under Israeli bombardment.

The hospital has since been forced to close down.

Oneg Ben Dror, from Physicians for Human Rights Israel, told Sky News they believe Dr Abu Safiya is one of more than a 100 medical professionals from Gaza currently being detained in Israeli jails.

She said: “We know that more than 250 health care workers were arrested since the start of the war on Gaza.

“Part of them were released, and more than 100 are still detained. We have their names, and we managed to visit dozens of them while in detention.

“All those we met weren’t charged officially with any offence.

“We asked them about the interrogation and all of them said the questions they were asked weren’t about them or a specific offence.

“It was more information gathering about their workplace and people they knew and this is against international law arresting them while doing their job and holding them for intelligence gathering and as bargaining chips for a potential deal.”

A spokesperson for the Israel Prison Service (IPS) said: “All prisoners are detained according to the law. All basic rights required are fully applied by professionally trained prison guards.

“We are not aware of the claims you described, and as far as we know, no such events have occurred under IPS responsibility.

“Nonetheless, prisoners and detainees have the right to file a complaint that will be fully examined and addressed by official authorities.”

Dr Abu Safiya’s colleague, Dr Eid Sabbah, head of the nursing department at Kamal Adwan Hospital, told Sky News more than 30 medical staff from the hospital have been killed during the conflict.

He said: “We pray to God to give Dr Abu Safiya strength, to ease his suffering soon, and to see him free – just like the rest of our people, our patients, our wounded, and all the doctors who were detained from this hospital.

“He is in a very difficult situation. The news we are hearing is troubling and far from reassuring.

“He was the kind of doctor who took bold stands for his colleague. At the same time, he never abandoned his patients, even under extreme pressure.

“Despite calls urging him to evacuate the hospital for his own safety, he refused to leave. He stayed by his patients’ sides, fully committed to serving them – especially the children, the elderly, the women, and the injured.”

World

Gaza food situation ‘worst it’s ever been’, charity says – as UK promises £40m in aid

Published

9 hours ago

July 21, 2025

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Gaza food situation 'worst it's ever been', charity says – as UK promises £40m in aid

An aid worker in the central Gaza Strip has told Sky News the food situation in the enclave is “absolutely desperate” and “the worst it’s ever been”.

Her comments to Sky’s chief presenter Mark Austin come amid fresh international outcry over Israel’s restrictions on aid, as the UK has joined together with 24 other countries to say: “The war in Gaza must end now.”

Rachael Cummings, humanitarian director for Save The Children, is in Deir al Balah, a city in central Gaza where tens of thousands of people have sought refuge during repeated waves of mass displacement.

Middle East latest: Key points from UK statement on Gaza

She said: “One of my colleagues said to me yesterday, ‘We are all walking together towards death’. And this is the situation now for people in Gaza.

“There is no food for their children, it’s absolutely desperate here.”

“The markets are empty,” she said. “People may even have cash in their pockets yet they cannot buy bread [or] vegetables.

“My team have said to me, ‘There’s nothing in my house to feed my children, my children are crying all day, every day.”

Israel launched a ground assault on Deir al Balah on Monday morning, another charity said earlier.

Ms Cummings’s comments came as the UK and 24 other nations issued a joint statement calling for a ceasefire.

The statement criticised aid distribution in Gaza, which is being managed by a US and Israel-backed organisation, Gaza Health Foundation.

“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” it said.

The 25 countries also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of hostages captured by Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attacks.

Lammy promises £40m for Gaza aid

Foreign Secretary David Lammy later promised £40m for humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

He told MPs: “We are leading diplomatic efforts to show that there must be a viable pathway to a Palestinian state involving the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, in the security and governance of the area.

“Hamas can have no role in the governance of Gaza, nor use it as a launchpad for terrorism.”

Addressing the foreign secretaries’ joint written statement, charity worker Liz Allcock – who works for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) in Gaza – told Sky News: “While we welcome this, there have been statements in the past 21 months and nothing has changed.

“In fact, things have only got worse. And every time we think it can’t get worse, it does.”

“Without a reversal of the siege, the lack of supplies, the constant bombardment, the forced displacement, the killing, the militarisation of aid, we are going to collapse as a humanitarian response,” she said.

“And this would do a grave injustice to the 2.2 million people we’re trying to serve.

“An immediate and permanent ceasefire, and avenues for accountability in line with international law, is the minimum people here deserve.”

The war in Gaza started in response to Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw about 250 taken hostage.

More than 59,000 Palestinians have since been killed, with more than half being women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.

In recent weeks hundreds of Palestinians have reportedly been killed while waiting for food and aid.

The Israeli military has blamed Hamas militants for fomenting chaos and endangering civilians.

World

Plane crashes into college campus in Bangladesh – at least 19 people dead

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2025

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Plane crashes into college campus in Bangladesh - at least 19 people dead

At least 19 people have died after a Bangladesh air force plane crashed into a college campus, the military said.

The aircraft crashed into the campus of Milestone School and College in Uttara, in the northern area of the capital Dhaka, where students were taking tests or attending regular classes.

The pilot was one of the people killed, and, according to the military, 164 were injured in the incident.

The Bangladesh military’s public relations department added that the aircraft was an F-7 BGI, and had taken off at 1.06pm local time before crashing shortly after.

Video shows fire and smoke rising from the crash site, with hundreds looking on.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

Bengali-language daily newspaper Prothom Alo said that most of the injured were students with burn injuries.

Citing the duty officer at the fire service control room, Prothom Alo also reported that the plane had crashed on the roof of the college canteen.

Rafiqa Taha, a 16-year-old student at the school who was not present at the time of the crash, told the Associated Press that the school has around 2,000 students.

“I was terrified watching videos on TV,” she added. “My God! It’s my school.”