German prince faces trial in far-right coup plot

A prince, a former MP and ex-army officers will go on trial Tuesday, accused of masterminding a conspiracy theory-driven plot to attack the German parliament and topple the government.

In one of the biggest cases heard by German courts in decades, prosecutors accuse the group of preparing a “treasonous undertaking” to storm the Bundestag and take MPs hostage.

The proceedings at the regional court in Frankfurt are the second of three trials against defendants linked to the putsch plan.

READ ALSO: Germany makes three more arrests over far-right coup plot

Eight suspected members of the coup plot will take the stand in Frankfurt, as well as one woman accused of supporting their efforts to overthrow the government.

The minor aristocrat and businessman Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss, one of the group’s ringleaders, was said to be in line to become the provisional head of state after the current government was overthrown.

The sensational plan, foiled by authorities at the end of 2022, is the most high-profile example of the growing threat of violence from the political fringes in Germany.

Germany responds to ICC warrant requests: ‘false impression of equivalence’

Germany said Monday the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders on suspicion of war crimes created a “false impression of equivalence”.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan earlier in the day made a request to the court for warrants to be issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as senior Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar.

“The simultaneous application for arrest warrants against the Hamas leaders on the one hand and the two Israeli officials on the other has given the false impression of equivalence,” a spokesman for the German foreign ministry said in a statement.

Hamas had perpetrated a “barbaric massacre” with its October 7 attack on Israel, the spokesman said.

In this context, however, it was “clear that international humanitarian law with all its obligations applies”, he added.

The court would now have to assess  “very different cases”, the spokesman said.

Germany is among the countries to have called on Israel to improve access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Renewed storms and heavy rain expected

Tuesday begins with an anxious look at the sky in many regions of Germany. For some areas in Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Saarland, severe weather, thunderstorms and heavy rain are predicted.

“On Tuesday, a low-pressure zone will form again over Germany, in which the risk of severe weather will increase,” said the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach.

Over the Whitsun weekend, people in Saarland and southwest of Rhineland-Palatinate in particular fought against flooding as heavy rain brought landslides and submerged streets and cellars.

READ ALSO: Floods easing in Germany’s Saarland but situation remains serious

A 67-year-old woman died after being hit by an ambulance. According to state premier Anke Rehlinger (SPD), the emergency services in Saarland were called around 4,000 times. No other serious injuries have been reported.

From Tuesday, the storm could also affect other regions of Germany: “This time, the focus is probably not on Saarland and southern Rhineland-Palatinate, but a little further north, in the area from the Eifel to Central Hesse, to south-eastern Bavaria,” said meteorologist Nico Bauer from the German Weather Service.

From the early afternoon, strong thunderstorms are expected in a strip from south-eastern and eastern Bavaria over Hesse to northern Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Heavy rain, hail and squalls can be expected.

In the evening and into Wednesday, heavy rain and thunderstorms are likely to shift to the northeast of Germany, according to the DWD.

Several people injured after lightning strike in Dresden

Four people are critically injured following a lightning strike on the banks of the Elbe in Dresden on Monday evening.

The fire department said two of the four – a 27-year-old and a 30-year-old man – were resuscitated after a cardiac arrest.

The lightning struck shortly after 5 pm during a thunderstorm on the banks of the Elbe near the Rose Garden. In total 10 people were injured in the incident – three women and seven men – between the ages of 26 and 41.

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With reporting by DPA.