Nine suspected members of a far-right group headed by German aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss go on trial in Stuttgart on Monday on charges of terrorism and high treason.
The nine suspected members of the Reichsbürger (Reich Citizens) movement, a group that rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state, are accused of membership of a terrorist organization and "preparation of a treasonous undertaking."
One faces an additional charge of attempted murder in relation to shots fired at police officers as they searched his home in Reutlingen to the south of Stuttgart in March last year. Officers were injured.
The trial at the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court is the first of three of the group around Reuß, a monarchist businessman who came to public attention following raids across Germany and abroad in December 2022.
A total of 27 defendants are accused of plotting the violent overthrow of the German government, while accepting the likelihood that people would die. The plan was to install Reuß at the head of a new form of government.
The accused include former soldiers, a former Berlin judge and member of parliament for the far-right Alternative for Germany.
The Stuttgart trial is to focus on the group's military wing which is charged with attempting to overthrow the state by force of arms. According to the charges, they had started forming 280 armed units.
The accused are aged 42 to 60. They are alleged to have joined the association during 2022 and been active in various roles for the military wing. They are currently in custody.
Further trials will follow this year in Frankfurt of the alleged ringleaders and in Munich of the other members.