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One of the accused is brought to the Federal Court of Justice (archive): Did a group of right-wing extremists want to start a civil war?
Photo: Uli Deck / picture alliance / dpa
It's such a thing with key witnesses.
Often they are the most important informants for investigators, help to solve a planned or committed crime, and support the prosecution's charges with their information.
In return, the law enforcement authorities promise leniency or even impunity, even if they were involved in the crime.
In the proceedings against the "Group S." a man who should only be called U. takes on the role of the key witness.
He revealed the plans of the secret community and had them exposed.
There was a large-scale raid and several arrests.
Since then it has been clear to the Attorney General: The "Group S", named after the founder and ringleader Werner S., is a right-wing terrorist association.
Your goal: a new Germany.
Their allegedly intended method: In small commands and with large attacks, undermine the existing state and social order of the Federal Republic and use weapons to commit attacks on politicians, asylum seekers and Muslims.
The trial against eleven alleged members and one alleged supporter of the group begins on Tuesday in front of the 5th criminal division of the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court.
The state security proceedings are negotiated in the high-security wing on the premises of the penal institution in Stammheim.
The men come from five different federal states.
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The state security proceedings against "Group S." are being negotiated in the high-security wing on the grounds of the penal institution in Stammheim
Photo: Stefan Puchner / picture alliance / dpa
Thomas N. is one of them.
In his house in Minden, Westphalia, a conspiratorial meeting took place in February 2020, at which the accused - all of them people from the right-wing extremist spectrum - forged terrorist plans.
It was about the procurement of weapons of all kinds and the plan to instigate a civil war through several simultaneous attacks in the country.
They preferred to attack Muslim places of worship in the hope of generating corresponding violent counterattacks.
The leader S., a second-hand dealer nicknamed "Teutonico", is said to have instigated the men, according to the investigators, to mobilize reliable right-wing extremists from all over Germany to commit "collective fanfare-like crimes".
With the attacks, they wanted to intimidate the population and politicians.
The names of the two green politicians Robert Habeck and Anton Hofreiter fell.
"Eliminated immediately"
The investigators base their findings on telephone monitoring, chat messages, observations, searches and the information provided by key witness U. He had reported that at a meeting on September 28, 2019 at the Hummelgautsche barbecue area in Baden-Württemberg, the group announced via E- Mail to be able to round up 2500 mostly armed people at any time.
U. himself wrote in a chat: »… I can't kill every nigger I see either!
I would like it but that is still to come. "
The news speaks for itself.
Thomas N., who made his house in Minden available for a meeting, wrote: "Ticks (...) are eliminated immediately." His defense attorney Daniel Sprafke says that his client will initially not provide any information.
This should be understood as "denying the allegations".
Is he betting on shaking the testimony of the key witness?
Because he's not a blank slate, rather a convicted hostage-taker.
In a note, an investigator noted that experts had attested the key witness to manipulative behavior in the past, and that he craved attention.
Is U. credible?
"Whenever so-called key witnesses appear, you have to look very carefully," says defense attorney Sprafke.
“Mr. U. can look back on a long, highly criminal life story.
Precisely for this reason one must not assume naively that the witness is pure altruism, but rather from a selfish motive. "The Senate is also" well advised "to" question the statements of the most important witness "particularly critically.
He himself remembers a case before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court, at that time the Federal Public Prosecutor "fell for an impostor".
It is difficult to say how specific the alleged terrorist cell's plans actually were.
The main negotiation must clarify whether there were any plans at all, says Sprafke.
"So far, there is only information from the key witness." The weapons finds and telephone surveillance alone could not justify an indictment.
"Here, too, it should be noted that all other evidence was assessed exclusively in the context of the statements made by witness U."
He warns, says Sprafke, against viewing the defendants as a "homogeneous group."
Thomas N. rejects National Socialist ideas.
In addition, he is glad that after a year of pre-trial detention, the trial is finally starting.
Key witness U., however, is not in custody.