25 arrested in large-scale raids in Germany

BERLIN - Around 3,000 police officers carried out a series of raids on Wednesday morning across Germany, arresting 25 people, according to federal prosecutors.

The raids were carried out at 130 sites in eleven federal states, targeting suspected far-right extremists who allegedly wanted to overthrow the state order in Germany and replace it with its own.

People arrested are adherents of the so-called Reich Citizens (Reichsbuerger) movement. Twenty-two of them are said to be members of the terrorist organization, and three others are considered supporters, prosecutors said.

Members of the so-called Reich Citizens movement amass illegal weapons and often refuse to pay taxes. Some are convinced that Germany is run by members of the so-called "deep state" -- a conspiracy theory -- that needs to be toppled.

Germany's domestic intelligence agency estimates that the movement has around 21,000 adherents.