Police officer shot in raids in German Reichsbuerger probe

A police officer was shot as German authorities conducted searches across the country in connection with investigations into the far-right Reichsbuerger movement, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said on Wednesday.

The searches follow raids in December, when German police foiled a plot by members of Germany's Reichsbuerger movement to stage a violent coup and install aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss as national leader.

Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) does not recognize modern-day Germany as a legitimate state.

"Federal prosecutors had 20 properties searched today. The measure is related to the Reichsbuerger scene. A policeman was shot," tweeted Buschmann.

"This shows how dangerous the missions are. It is the duty of the authorities to disarm Reichsbuerger," he said.

The German prosecutor's office declined to comment on the report immediately.

Broadcaster ARD first reported the searches, saying that following last year's raids on the suspected Reichsbuerger network, which resulted in the arrest of 23 people, authorities on Wednesday conducted searches involving 19 people. One of those shot an officer, who was slightly hurt.

The latest suspects were from southern Bavaria, northern Lower Saxony and eastern Saxony, and included police officers and soldiers, reported ARD, saying that some of them were believed to have formed other networks hostile to the state.