Enlarge image
UN Secretary General António Guterres warns against extreme right
Photo: ED JONES / AFP
They apparently wanted to overthrow the political system: 25 suspected "Reich citizens" were arrested in early December.
22 of them are accused of being members of a terrorist organization.
The case made headlines beyond Europe, with the New York Times reporting in the United States.
Now UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also spoken out.
Because of the coup plans, he warned of right-wing terror in the world.
"It has been shown that the greatest terrorist threat in Western nations today comes from the extreme right, from neo-Nazis and those who believe in white supremacy," Guterres said in New York.
Any form of neo-Nazism, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred must be countered clearly and decisively.
"This is clearly a threat, and we must fight this threat with great determination," Guterres said.
The events in Germany are just one example of the threat to democratic societies around the world.
"Reich citizens" are people who do not recognize the Federal Republic and its democratic structures.
According to information from security circles, the arrested conspirators wanted to form 286 »homeland security companies«, which would also carry out arrests and executions after a coup in Germany.
hba/dpa
