Celebrity chef among suspects in Germany rightwing coup plot

A celebrity gourmet chef whose daughter is the girlfriend of the Real Madrid footballer David Alaba and an ex-police officer once tasked with protecting Jewish communities from terror attacks are among the latest figures to have been linked to the foiled Reichsbürger coup plan in Germany, with further arrests expected as investigations continue.

Details emerging after the biggest ever national police operation against rightwing extremism indicate that suspects may have been informed in advance of the raids, in which 3,000 police officers targeted more than 150 addresses across Germany, and in Austria and Italy, making 25 arrests.

The number of suspects had risen to 54 by Friday, with more arrests expected. Weapons were found at more than 50 locations, including rifles and ammunition, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office.

The group, inspired by Reichsbürger ideology that the modern German state is illegitimate, had planned to storm the Reichstag building and arrest parliamentarians before overthrowing the government and installing a regime led by a 71-year-old aristocrat as its head of state.

Among others alleged to have been part of the group was an ex-police officer once tasked with protecting Jewish communities from terror attacks. Michael Fritsch was arrested with his partner, Melanie Ritter, near Hanover in northern Germany.

Fritsch, 58, was suspended from duty in 2020 and later sacked, after he appeared at protests organised by Covid deniers. He later became a parliamentary candidate for DieBasis, the political party of the Covid-denying Querdenker movement. His legal appeals process against his dismissal is still outstanding.

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland continued to try to distance itself on Friday from its former member, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a serving judge who was arrested at her home in western Berlin on Wednesday morning for allegedly being one of the key plotters. Her post-coup role was to have been justice minister.

There were widespread calls for an overhaul of access to the Reichstag. Malsack-Winkemann, who as a former MP had the right to access the parliament building, had allegedly provided the military arm of the group with important logistical information about how to enter.

The extent to which the group had the capacity to turn its power fantasies into reality remains a matter of heated discussion. According to Der Spiegel magazine, among the items seized in the raids were 9mm pistols, swords, knives, stun guns, combat helmets, night vision equipment, and the duty weapons of a policeman and policewoman who were among the suspects.