In Dresden, the trial against eight alleged members of the 'Sächsische Separatisten' began on Friday. The Federal Prosecutor's Office accuses the group of forming a terrorist organization. Defense lawyers unsuccessfully demanded the exclusion of the public.
The state protection trial at the Dresden Higher Regional Court marks the second major case against an alleged far-right terrorist group following the 'Freital Group.' Sixty-seven hearing days are scheduled until the end of 2026. The defendants, men aged 22 to 26, have been in custody since their arrest in November 2024. They were brought in handcuffs after police raided their homes—less than three months after a paramilitary training session in mid-August 2024 at the abandoned airport in Waldpolenz near Leipzig. There, they allegedly practiced urban combat to seize towns in Saxony, according to the indictment read by Federal Prosecutor Stephan Stolzhäuser. Alleged ringleader Jörg S. is said to have founded the group in February 2020, following a poll in a Telegram group favoring militant over peaceful activism. He chose four extended fingers as a symbol—interpreted as a reference to a Fourth Reich. Three defendants are AfD members, including Grimma councilor Kurt Hättasch, who reportedly joined in August 2022 and shared military knowledge from his Bundeswehr service. Defense lawyers, including Jörg S.'s attorney Martin Kohlmann, sharply attacked the state: 'The terrorists are sitting there!' Kohlmann shouted, pointing at the prosecutors. 'The judges themselves are just extras; the directors sit elsewhere.' He acknowledged plans for a catastrophe scenario but emphasized it was merely a retreat to a safe place. The prosecution describes preparations for 'Day X'—an anticipated state collapse—without an active coup plan. No weapons cache was found despite searches in Planitz Forest and on properties. Specific allegations: Jörg S. planned 3D-printed submachine guns; his brother Jörn S. undertook endurance marches; Karl K. produced propaganda videos with slogans like 'Hitler is our prophet, our race is God'; Norman T. acquired gas masks, machetes, and an assault rifle. Hättasch's lawyer Till Weckmüller rejected the charges and demanded nameplates for judges: 'What you are doing here must be publicly documented, with names and faces.' In the audience sat AfD parliamentarian Jörg Dornau, who criticized the evidence on Facebook: 'The Federal Prosecutor's reasoning is wrong.' Hättasch waved to him.
