Germany arrests 25 for plotting coup

MAINZ, Germany - Authorities in Germany arrested 25 people on Wednesday who were suspected of plotting to overthrow the government in a far-right extremist plot.

More than 3,000 police officers, including special forces, made 130 early morning searches across 11 of Germany's 16 federal states in one of the biggest counterterrorism operations in the country's history.

Suspects from the so-far unnamed group include a nobleman with a historic royal title and various armed forces veterans. It is centered on the so-called Reichsb rger, or Reich Citizens, movement that is motivated by conspiracy theories about the role and legitimacy of the modern German state.

They will appear in court Wednesday and Thursday. The homes of a further 27 people suspected of being members or supporters of the group have been searched.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote on Twitter that they defended themselves with all strength against the enemies of democracy.

She said that the group was driven by fantasies of violent overturn and conspiracy ideologies and hated democracy and the state. She said that further investigations will give a clear picture of how far the coup plans have progressed.