Germany: Growing far-right group forming their own army

The Reichsbuerger movement now has almost 16,000 members while it plans an army and prepares for 'Day X', a German magazine reports

A far-right movement in Germany, Reichsbuerger, has grown significantly in the past year, and is planning to create an armed wing which will commit violent acts, Germany's Focus magazine has reported.

The report cites information from Germany's intelligence agency which said that Reichsbuerger members have increased by more than 50% within one year, totalling to 15,600 as of this month. 

A security official reportedly told the magazine that the members are "preparing themselves for Day X," apparently referring to a day of uprising against the government. 

Members of the group allegedly believe that the current government and Germany's political institutions are run by the victors of the Second World War, and are therefore not valid. They believe that the old German Reich, which existed during WWII, should be restored and that its borders such include large areas of neighbouring countries as it did before 1937. 

The movement has been mentioned in the news before, most notably due to the murder of a police officer in the Bavarian town of Georgensgmuend in October 2016 by an armned Reichsbuerger. The 49-year-old shot and killed one police officer and injured three others.