Day X plot

The Day X plot refers to an alleged conspiracy by soldiers of the Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Command) of Germany's Bundeswehr in 2017. According to media reports, the objective of the operation was the assassination of Die Linke party leader Dietmar Bartsch and other left-leaning politicians. Information about the plot came to law enforcement attention in 2017 during the investigation of a different alleged plot by German military officers to assassinate the President of Germany. The planned killings were made public in November 2018.

Day X plot
Soldiers of the elite KSK (pictured) were reportedly involved in the planning for Day X.
TypeAmbush and assassination
Planned byUnknown Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) soldiers
TargetDietmar Bartsch and others
DateDay X, an unspecified operational date
OutcomePotentially neutralized

Background

Between 2008 and 2017, Germany's Military Counter-intelligence Service (MAD) identified roughly 200 right-wing extremists within the Bundeswehr.[1]

In April 2017, German prosecutors charged a 28-year-old German Army soldier and two others with plotting a wave of violent attacks against left-leaning German politicians that would be framed on asylum seekers.[1][2] "Franco A.", a lieutenant, had allegedly planned to target President of Germany Joachim Gauck, Heiko Maas, Claudia Roth, and unnamed "human rights activists and journalists".[1][2] He was purportedly aided by another soldier, named only as "Maxilimilian T." and a university student named as "Mathias F."[3] According to authorities, a search of "Franco A."s quarters also revealed his possession of Wehrmacht memorabilia and, it was also learned, his master's degree thesis advanced what was described as völkisch arguments and theories.[4]

Dietmar Bartsch, Joachim Gauck, Heiko Maas, and Claudia Roth, were among those named as potential assassination targets on Day X and during the earlier, alleged "Franco A." conspiracy.

In November of that year, the Federal Court of Justice ordered "Franco A." released, ruling that "the results so far of the investigation do not substantiate the strong suspicion that a serious act threatening the state was in preparation".[5]

Alleged plot

In September 2017, prior to "Franco A."'s release, Federal Criminal Police officers searched the barracks of the German Army's elite Special Forces Command (KSK) in Calw.[4] The search occurred after information obtained in the investigation of "Franco A." indicated that "Franco A." might have had contact with KSK commandos.[4] Police were unable to find evidence of subversive activity during the search but suspected the KSK soldiers had been tipped off before their arrival.[4]

On 9 November 2018, Focus first publicly reported on the investigation.[4] According to it, the inquiry had uncovered a potential conspiracy within the KSK designed to murder Dietmar Bartsch and other unnamed politicians on an operational date designated Day X.[6][7] Day X was intended to coincide with the collapse of the German Government, an event the alleged conspirators felt was imminent and inevitable due to communal tension related to the country's growing refugee population.[6][8]

In addition to the Federal Criminal Police, Deutschlandfunk has reported that the German domestic security agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, is also investigating the matter.[4]

Arrests

According to authorities, the earlier alleged tip-off to potential KSK conspirators had been made by a lieutenant colonel in MAD who alerted the soldiers about the raid on their barracks in advance of it occurring.[6] Police apparently learned of this due to an informant, "André S.", placed within the KSK.[4] The MAD double agent, named in charging documents as "Peter W.", was subsequently indicted in a Cologne Amtsgericht on unspecified charges related to his alleged interference.[9]

See also

References
  1. "German soldier charged with plotting to kill politicians while posing as refugee". Deutsche Welle. December 12, 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-05-26. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  2. Zeller, Frank (May 17, 2017). "A German far-right plot has thrust the army's Nazi-era Wehrmacht history into the open again". Business Insider. Agence France Presse. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  3. "German police arrest Syrian suspected of preparing terror attack". Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. October 31, 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  4. Herter, Gerwald (November 15, 2018). "KSK-Soldaten wurden vor Durchsuchung gewarnt". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  5. "Court frees far-right soldier accused of planning attack disguised as refugee". The Local. Agence France Presse. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  6. "Planten AnschlagFall Franco A.: BKA hat Hinweise auf Netzwerk innerhalb der Bundeswehr". Focus (in German). November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-11-14. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  7. "Wer Hannibal informierte". Die Tageszeitung (in German). November 11, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  8. Bettini, Daniel (November 12, 2018). "Report: Far-right German commandos planned to kill politicians, immigrants". Ynet. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  9. "MAD-Offizier wegen Geheimnisverrats angeklagt". Die Zeit (in German). November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-11-15. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
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