Following the arrest of 25 suspected members of the far-right Reichsbürger (“Citizens of the Reich”) movement by German police on December 7, Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler gave background on how the group...
On December 7, 2022, CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler appeared on CBC's Canada Tonight for this story: "German police arrest suspected far-right extremists in plot to overthrow parliament"
CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed: "This was a fairly serious attempt of a group of individuals to organize nothing less than a coup d'etat in Germany."
CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed: "The primary planning tool was online, chat fora. There were a couple of physical meetings where they tried to recruit members of the police and military forces, but all of the primary planning was done online. This means messenger services and social media, which really don't have the controls in place to hinder or in any way bother people planning these things. This is not the very first time that something similar like this has been discovered in Germany..."
"LEAD STORY: German police foil coup plot. Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Sr. Director, at CEP explains. ALSO, Alireza Jafarzadeh, Deputy Director, NCRI-US says Iran's Morality Police are still active. AND, a Ukraine War Update with Yuriy Sak, Advisor to Ukraine's Minister of Defense."
CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed: "This was one of the, if not the, largest counterterrorism operation on German soil since 1945. 3,000 police officers in 130 different locations, arresting 25 individuals, 27 individuals under further investigation on top of that. It was surprising as far as the scope and the scale is concerned. But, unfortunately, this is not the only violent cell that has been discovered from the broader violent right-wing extremist spectrum in Germany over the last couple of years. Since 2019, the Federal Ministry of the Interior has consistently judged that violent right-wing extremism is the largest domestic threat against security and this morning really brought home that point again."
On December 7, 2022, CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler spoke with Christian Fraser and panelists on BBC World News "The Context". Dr. Schindler discussed news that German authorities arrested 25 people suspected of plotting to overthrow Germany's government and install their own. The suspects are reportedly members of the Reichsbürger movement and included some QAnon conspiracy theorists.
"The primary planning tool was online, chat fora. There were a couple of physical meetings where they tried to recruit members of the police and military forces, but all of the primary planning was done online. This means messenger services and social media, which really don't have the controls in place to hinder or in any way bother people planning these things. This is not the very first time that something similar like this has been discovered in Germany..."
CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler joined BBC Scotland's The Nine to discuss the Reichsbürger movement, amid news that German authorities arrested 25 individuals suspected of plotting to overthrow Germany's government. The suspects were alleged Reichsbürger members, with elements of QAnon, as well as a former MP for far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler joined BBC Scotland's The Nine to discuss the Reichsbürger movement, amid news that German authorities arrested 25 individuals suspected of plotting to overthrow Germany's government. The suspects were alleged Reichsbürger members, with elements of QAnon, as well as a former MP for far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
On December 7, 2022, CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler was interviewed for the top news story on BBC World Service's Newshour: "German authorities say they were preparing to overthrow the government. The plotters include members of the so-called 'Reichsburger' movement, which rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state, and conspiracy theorists who subscribe to Q'Anon ideology."
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On May 8, 2019, Taliban insurgents detonated an explosive-laden vehicle and then broke into American NGO Counterpart International’s offices in Kabul. At least seven people were killed and 24 were injured.
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