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German coup plotters had list of potential enemies including Baerbock — report

On December 7, the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office reported foiling a plot to overthrow the country’s government

BERLIN, December 9. /TASS/. German law enforcement agencies have found a list compiled by the suspected coup plotters that contains the names of their potential enemies, including German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the Tageszeitung newspaper reported on Friday.

The leaders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Saskia Esken, and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, lawmakers and prominent journalists were also listed.

The list contains a total of 18 names. According to the newspaper, it was discovered before the large-scale operation to detain the suspected conspiracy members on Wednesday.

The German federal criminal investigations agency has informed seven members of the Bundestag that they appear on the list. Other well-known German politicians that are on the list include SPD Secretary General Kevin Kuehnert and former CDU/CSU candidate for chancellor Armin Laschet.

"We should not underestimate the danger that’s posed by aggressively minded Citizens of the Reich. These people not only rave about conspiracy theories, but they had specific plans that they were ready to implement," Esken said in an interview with the Tageszeitung, also known as taz.

According to German prosecutors, the suspects planned to storm the Bundestag and detain members of the government and lawmakers.

The newspaper also reported that the list included the names of at least three prominent journalists working on the German public television channel. An Interior Ministry spokeswoman, when asked to confirm the existence of the list of potential targets, said at a news conference that she wouldn’t comment on an ongoing investigation.

Conspiracy details

On December 7, the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office reported foiling a plot to overthrow the country’s government. As part of a large-scale operation involving about 3,000 policemen, Germany’s special services detained 25 out of more than 50 people suspected of plotting a coup. A female Russian national, Vitaliya B., who allegedly helped the suspects contact Russian representatives, is among the detainees.

During the operation, Germany’s biggest ever, searches were conducted in more than 130 houses and apartments across 11 out of the country’s 16 federal states. The terrorist cell proved to be a large network and included a descendant of Prussian princes, a politician, senior military officers, and the Defense Ministry’s special troops. The plotters had set up a government-like council and had a military wing. Besides, they actively recruited supporters from among the army and the police.

The members of the cell allegedly planned an assault on the country’s parliament (Bundestag) using a small armed group.

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