Germany news: Trial of alleged 'Reichsbürger' group ringleaders begins
Four defendants, including self-proclaimed 'King' Peter Fitzek, appear before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court.
Quick Look
Four alleged ringleaders of the banned 'Kingdom of Germany' (KRD) extremist group, including leader Peter Fitzek, face trial in Düsseldorf on charges including criminal organization membership and tax evasion.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Authorities banned the KRD group in May 2025 after monitoring its activities for over a decade. The group is part of the 'Reichsbürger' movement.
Four alleged ringleaders of the banned far-right "Kingdom of Germany" (KRD) are expected to appear before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court this morning.
The group is part of a conspiracy theorist movement that rejects the legitimacy of the modern German republic.
Authorities banned the KRD in May 2025 after monitoring its activities for more than a decade. Since then, the four defendants, including the group's so-called "King" Peter Fitzek, have been held in pre-trial detention.
They have been charged with membership in a criminal organization and other offenses, including document forgery and tax evasion amounting to millions of euros.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses Fitzek and his co-defendants of seeking to replace the German republic with their own system. They are alleged to have set up "pseudo-state structures" such as a banking and insurance system, as well as a "registration office" that issued fictitious identity documents.
At the time the group was banned, hundreds of police officers carried out raids on 15 properties across Germany. They seized "further evidence of the association's anti-constitutional goals and activities," according to the Interior Ministry.
Authorities said the group had acquired land through donations with the aim of reducing the territory of Germany.
According to the prosecutor's office, they sought to expand their purported territory to the borders of the German Empire of 1871.
The group is estimated to have had around 1,000 followers at the time it was banned.
What is the banned 'Kingdom of Germany' group?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Guten morgen from the DW newsroom here on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn.
About 70 kilometers (43 miles) further north, the trial of four alleged ringleaders of the banned "Kingdom of Germany" (KRD) is expected to begin Friday in the city of Düsseldorf.
KRD is part of Germany's "Reichsbürger" movement, which rejects the modern German state and its structure as illegitimate. The group is accused of setting up its own structures, including a banking and insurance system.
Also making news, the German parliament is voting on whether to impose harsher penalties for the use of date rape drugs.
And, a new study suggests the expansion of data centers in Germany catering to the AI boom could lead to water stress.
Stay tuned for these stories and more.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Defendants will appear before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court.
Very likely · Within hours
Open Questions
- What sentence do the defendants face if convicted?
- How widespread are remaining KRD underground networks?
