Once seen as harmless oddballs, the right-wing conspiracy theorists who claim allegiance to the long-dead German Reich have evolved into a growing security concern, after two alleged terrorist cells were accused of plotting violence.
After a minor prince was held in December over an alleged armed coup plot, a retired lecturer nicknamed “terror granny” was one of five people charged on Monday with conspiring to kidnap a senior minister.
They are a far cry from the skinhead neo-Nazi hooligans who were once the face of the German far right, or the lonely, aggrieved young men who make obvious targets for radicalisation.
Experts told The National the two alleged plots were connected and came from a world of extremists and conspiracy theorists that grew in strength during the pandemic.
The so-called Reichsbuerger (Reich Citizens) refuse to recognise Germany’s post-war democracy and believe the 1871 to 1945 German Reich is still in existence. Some carry bogus passports or refuse to pay taxes.
“All of this, for a quite a few years, was fairly harmless,” said Hans-Jakob Schindler, a former German diplomat and a director at the Counter Extremism Project. "They got fines and they harassed local authorities, but they weren’t planning large-scale violence.
“It turned around the 2016-17 mark, when for the first time a Bavarian policeman was killed doing a raid at a Reichsbuerger’s home, who had of course not paid any taxes. From then onwards the scene became more violent.
“With Covid, this exploded. The right-wing extremists immediately realised that any type of severe societal crisis is something they can take advantage of.”
Far-right violence in Germany is, sadly, nothing new, and a string of racist attacks in recent years has rattled a country highly sensitive to the subject because of its traumatic 20th-century history.
But a new challenge with the Reichsbuerger movement is that some members have never been on the radar of security services, or hardly fit the usual profile.
“People expect young, disenfranchised, aggressive young men in certain areas to be involved in violent neo-Nazi hooligan gangs,” said Jakob Guhl, an extremism expert at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
“I think what they find more surprising is that these people are often from the mainstream of society, like doctors and lawyers and theologians and former soldiers and police officers. It’s a bit harder to explain why they’re so disaffected with the state and the political order.
“It’s not like, 'oh, this dude was sentenced for attacking someone four years ago, then he sprayed a swastika on the local mosque, and now here he is coming up in the plot'. This is not quite the audience.”
The plots described by prosecutors were so outlandish that it was tempting to laugh them off. The tweed-jacketed Prince Heinrich XIII allegedly wanted to lead a military government planned with typical German thoroughness, down to the level of health and justice ministries.
In the kidnap plot, the suspects wanted to impersonate Chancellor Olaf Scholz or President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to make a "false flag" announcement restoring the German Reich of 1871, it is claimed.
The alleged "terror granny", a 75-year-old professor of theology identified by prosecutors as Elisabeth R., is suspected of being the ideological mastermind behind that plot.
Prosecutors said she "pushed for a rapid implementation" of the plot and "repeatedly named specific dates" to move it forward. She was arrested in October.
Some politicians sought to play down the threat and suggested the raids in December, in which 25 people were arrested in one of the biggest anti-terrorist operations in German history, were overblown.
But some of the suspects had already acquired weapons, prosecutors say, and could have committed acts of violence even if they were never really going to overthrow the German state.
“Of course it would not have ‘worked’,” said Mr Schindler. "Would nobody have been harmed or be dead at the end of the process? Of course they would have been.
“You can be delusional, you can be crazy and you can still be extremely dangerous. Yes, it’s a bit amusing what they’ve done, but it’s dead serious. They were willing to kill people, they were willing to exert violence and that’s unacceptable.”
The fact that one suspect in the December case was a former far-right member of parliament, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, led to concerns that a gang of extremists could have stormed the Bundestag.
Another worry was that the Reichsbuerger were allegedly recruiting in the police and military, which have long faced accusations of extremism in the ranks.
Intelligence services estimate that about 23,000 people are part of the Reichsbuerger scene, although it has no clear organisation or leadership.
The Covid protest scene brought it together with an eclectic mix of vaccine deniers, neo-Nazis, QAnon supporters, members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, and other conspiracy theorists and splinter groups.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who supported tough Covid restrictions, was the intended target of a kidnap plot over which five people were charged on Monday, prosecutors said.
Since the health crisis eased, the far right has sought to exploit public despair over the energy crisis and spread conspiracies about the war in Ukraine.
Mr Guhl said the spread of such conspiracies on social media, especially the messaging app Telegram, had connected people with the extreme fringe.
“You click through Telegram, starting in maybe an anti-vaccine group, and, whoosh, now you have the Reichsbuerger, now you’re with QAnon, now you’re with neo-Nazis,” he said.
“It just really brought a bunch of people together under one umbrella that probably otherwise would not have found each other.”
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Company%C2%A0profile
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Williams at Wimbledon
Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
