Separatist extremists arrested in Germany for plotting 'Day X' coup to establish 'Nazi-like dictatorship'

The group, comprising 15 to 20 members, is accused of planning a violent regional coup in the eastern state of Saxony.

Kurt Hättasch, an AfD district councillor from the town of Grimma near Leipzig and treasurer of the party's regional youth wing in Saxony, was among those arrested.

Prosecutors say the group aimed to drive out "undesired groups" through ethnic cleansing and other means.

The group was founded before November 2020 by a ringleader identified only as Jörg S, according to prosecutors.

Their ideology was "characterised by racist, antisemitic and in some cases apocalyptic ideas", prosecutors said.

The members, none older than 25, spent four years preparing for what they called "Day X" - a moment when they believed Germany's political system would inevitably collapse into racial war.

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The concept of "Day X" is a common theme in German far-right extremist circles, previously seen in other plots including the Reich Citizens movement's thwarted coup attempt in December 2022.

The group's members were "united by a profound rejection of Germany's liberal democratic basic order", prosecutors added.

Two other suspects, identified as Kevin R and Hans-Georg P, also held local council positions with the AfD.

According to Der Spiegel, Hättasch's arrest in Grimma involved a dramatic confrontation with armed special forces officers.

When police raided his home, Hättasch reportedly reached for a carbine rifle, prompting officers to fire two warning shots.

The AfD politician fell to the ground with a jaw wound that required hospital treatment, though his injuries were not life-threatening.

The injury reportedly left him unfit to be transported to court for his custody hearing.

More than 450 police officers participated in Tuesday morning raids across 20 addresses in Dresden, Leipzig and the Meissen district.

The group's alleged leader, Jörg S, was detained in the Polish border town of Zgorzelec.

Additional searches were conducted in Vienna and near Krems in Austria, suggesting possible links to Austrian right-wing extremist movements.

At least seven more suspects remain at large, wanted for either belonging to or supporting the domestic terrorist group.

The group conducted regular paramilitary training exercises, including firearms practice, urban warfare drills and forced marches.

They had acquired military equipment including camouflage uniforms, combat helmets, gas masks and bulletproof vests, though authorities are unclear about how the items were sourced.

Thomas Haldenwang, head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, revealed the group had links to an online network that glorified far-right terrorists, including Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011.

He noted that several members were previously known to have connections to neo-Nazi groups, right-wing extremist parties and the German new right movement, which has ties to the AfD.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: "Our security authorities have taken early action to thwart plans for a militant coup by far-right terrorists who yearned for a Day X so they could attack people and our state with armed violence."