Overview
- Reuß, testifying Wednesday in Frankfurt, rejected being a ringleader and said the group’s meetings resembled a casual “Stammtisch” or think tank as he described being drawn to fringe claims during the pandemic.
- Federal prosecutors allege the network formed a terrorist group that stockpiled weapons and scouted the Bundestag for an overthrow, tying it to the Reichsbürger scene, a movement that rejects the Federal Republic’s legitimacy.
- Addressing a 2022 trip to Bratislava, he disputed claims he sought Russian backing and said he had access to higher‑level contacts, naming Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as an expected meeting.
- He acknowledged that a contact helped source satellite phones from a supplier in Portugal and said no one in the circle took the devices seriously.
- The sprawling case is split across courts in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich, with about 25 defendants still facing charges and most held since December 2022 as proceedings continue without a clear end date.