German Authorities Arrest Self Declared “King” Of Germany

German authorities have arrested the “self-declared” King of Germany and three of his senior “subjects.”

Peter Fitzek, 59, who declares himself the king of Germany, was arrested for leading the movement known as the “Citizens of the Reich.”

German authorities reported that Fitzek and several leaders in the Citizens of the Reich were arrested for being a security threat to Germany’s sovereignty.

Authorities noted the group created “pseudo-state structures and institutions issuing its own currency and identity papers and running an insurance scheme for its members.”

German police have arrested the self-proclaimed 'King of Germany', Peter Fitzek, as well as other alleged ringleaders of his organization. The far-right group is said to be a prominent faction of the country's Reich Citizens movement. pic.twitter.com/SkI3oCdKEO

— DW News (@dwnews) May 13, 2025

Germany's interior minister has banned a major faction of the far-right "Reichsbürger" movement.

Some leaders of the group, the "Kingdom of Germany," have been arrested, including its self-declared king.https://t.co/Yeb1qGiKqt

— DW Europe (@dw_europe) May 13, 2025

Per France 24:

German authorities on Tuesday banned an extremist group called the “Kingdom of Germany”, raided multiple locations nationwide and arrested four of its leading members.

The group is part of a right-wing conspiracy theorist movement known as the “Citizens of the Reich” (“Reichsbuerger”), which rejects the legitimacy of the modern German republic.

Among those detained was the group’s self-proclaimed “king” Peter Fitzek, 59, a former chef and karate instructor. He founded the organisation, which has claimed to have about 6,000 members.

Long dismissed as malcontents and oddballs, the Reichsbuerger have become increasingly radicalised and are considered a security threat by German authorities.

About 800 security forces searched properties in seven states linked to the group, known in German as “Koenigreich Deutschland”.

The interior ministry said that the group had established “pseudo-state structures and institutions”, issuing its own currency and identity papers and running an insurance scheme for its members.

🇩🇪GERMANY BUSTS GROUP THAT TRIED TO START ITS OWN COUNTRY… INSIDE GERMANY

German police just shut down a far-right group called the “Kingdom of Germany”, which had its own fake government, currency, bank, and ID cards.

Their leader called himself a “sovereign,” and they… https://t.co/pCOlcQoEAS pic.twitter.com/6SmrGV2pFP

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 13, 2025

Here’s what the BBC reported:

A self-declared “king” of Germany and three of his senior “subjects” have been arrested and their group banned for attempting to overthrow the state.

Peter Fitzek, 59, was among those arrested in morning raids across seven states on Tuesday, which involved about 800 security personnel.

The government banned their group, the Reichsbürger, or “citizens of the Reich”, which seeks to establish the Königreich Deutschland, or “Kingdom of Germany”.

Alexander Dobrindt, German’s interior minister, accused the group of attempting to “undermine the rule of law” by creating an alternative state and spreading “antisemitic conspiracy narratives to back up their supposed claim to authority”.

His ministry announced the dissolution of the group, and accused it of financing itself through “economic criminal structures”.

Fitzek, a former chef and karate instructor, calls himself “king” and identified himself to judges as “Peter the First” in a previous court case.

He had himself crowned in 2012 while dressed in ermine robes and brandishing a medieval sword. Since then he has been buying land and property across Germany.
Reichsbürgers have their own currency, flag and ID cards, and want to set up separate banking and health systems.
Fitzek claims to have thousands of followers – or “subjects”.

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In an interview with the BBC in 2022 he denied having any violent intentions, but also described the German state as “destructive and sick”.