A POLICE officer has been shot during a raid on "Citizens of the Reich" German coup plotters who support Prince Heinrich XIII.
Tactical police stormed multiple homes across eight federal states in Germany as part of an investigation into the Reichsbürger group.
It is the second swoop on the extremists – who believe post-Second World War Germany is illegitimate – in recent months.
During the operation on Wednesday morning, officers raided a home in Reutlingen, in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg.
One police officer was shot and wounded at the property. He suffered minor injuries, according to reports.
One person was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at the scene, a spokesperson for the Attorney General said.
The Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe has now taken over the investigation into the shooter, they added.
According to Zeit Online, the suspect was waiting in the living room with a large-caliber gun. Reports claim he had a permit to own weapons.
Justice minister Marco Buschmann wrote in a tweet: "This shows how dangerous the missions are.
"It is the duty of the authorities to disarm Reichsbürger."
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The raids, which also took place in Switzerland, targeted five people who were suspected of belonging to a terrorist organisation.
Authorities also searched the homes of another 14 people who were not suspects in the case.
German broadcaster ARD claimed some of these included police officers and soldiers from southern Bavaria, northern Lower Saxony and eastern Saxony.
No further arrests were made, German prosecutors said.
Cops reportedly raided 22 properties throughout Germany, including in the capital, Berlin, and in Singen.
A property near Göttingen, Lower Saxony, was also targeted as part of the raid.
Since last year more than 50 suspects linked to Prince Heinrich XIII have been under investigation – while 24 have been locked up.
Police foiled a plot by the Reichsbürger group to overthrow the government in December.
Prince Heinrich XIII was allegedly the mastermind behind the scheme, alongside a former paratrooper commander, known only as Rüdiger v. P.
He is also alleged to have reached out to Russian officials for their help to storm the German parliament building, the Reichstag.
Members of the Reichsbürger movement planned to stage a violent coup to install the aristocrat, 71, as leader and restore the Second Reich.
The Second Reich was the German Empire which ruled from 1871 before being defeated by the British and their allies in World War 1.
Germany's defeat saw the Kaiser abdicate and the monarchy collapse – leaving a weakened state known as the Weimar Republic.
The republic was eventually overtaken by Adolf Hitler, leading to World War 2.
Federal Prosecutor's Office officials said the plotters wanted to overthrow the state order in Germany and replace it with their own.
Members of the Reichsbürger movement fail to recognise the political legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany, which was formed in wake of the war.
Instead, they believe that it was forced upon the nation by the allies.
The radicals are only prepared to accept the German Reich as the official sovereign, governing authority of Germany.
The group is estimated to be around 23,000-strong, with 1,000 of the members armed.
Heinrich – an entrepreneur who worked in property, wine and the arts – was arrested at his office in Frankfurt.
His family have distanced themselves from him in the "clearest possible terms" after he publically met with far politicians in August.
It is reported he left the family 14 years ago – and he was described by the House of Reuss as a "confused old man".
The plotters are alleged to have wanted to recruit members from the German police and state defence force, the Bundeswehr.
Heinrich – an entrepreneur who worked in property, wine and the arts – was arrested at his office in Frankfurt in early December.
His family have distanced themselves from him in the "clearest possible terms" after he publically met with far-right politicians in August last year.
It is reported he left the family 14 years ago – and he was described by the House of Reuss as a "confused old man".
The Reichsbürger group is alleged to have tried to recruit members from the German police and state defence force, the Bundeswehr, as well as calling on Russian officials for help.
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Russia's embassy in Germany denied any involvement in plot, saying they didn't work with "terrorist groups".
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