Fact:
On April 3, 2017, the day Vladimir Putin was due to visit the city, a suicide bombing was carried out in the St. Petersburg metro, killing 15 people and injuring 64. An al-Qaeda affiliate, Imam Shamil Battalion, claimed responsibility.
Media portrayals of the movement indicate there is no consistent ideology endorsed by the Reichsbürger movement. However, the group is often described as running on a fantasy. The German publication Deutsche Welle labeled its members “crackpots.”Rina Goldenberg, “What is Germany's 'Reichsbürger' movement?,” Deutsche Welle, May 17, 2023, https://www.dw.com/en/what-is-germanys-reichsb%C3%BCrger-movement/a-36094740. The Wall Streeet Journal reiterated the narrative that the group was not taken seriously, as authorities claimed that members of the Reichsbürger were just “radical libertarians—a fringe yet unthreatening subculture.”Bojan Pancevski, “German Government Moves Against Fringe Far-Right Group,” Wall Street Journal, March 19, 2020, https://www.wsj.com/articles/german-government-moves-against-fringe-far-right-group-11584635090. BBC News did not dismiss the conspiracy-driven rhetoric of the group and also suggested the group is more of a cult than a genuine political or ideological movement.Jenny Hill, “The self-proclaimed kingdom that doesn't recognise Germany,” BBC News, December 9, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63916812.
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On April 3, 2017, the day Vladimir Putin was due to visit the city, a suicide bombing was carried out in the St. Petersburg metro, killing 15 people and injuring 64. An al-Qaeda affiliate, Imam Shamil Battalion, claimed responsibility.
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