FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The alleged leaders of a suspected far-right plot to topple the German government went on trial on Tuesday, opening the most prominent proceedings in a case that shocked the country in late 2022.

Nine defendants faced judges at a special warehouse-like courthouse built on the outskirts of Frankfurt to accommodate the large number of defendants, lawyers and media dealing with the case. About 260 witnesses are expected at a trial that the Frankfurt state court expects to extend well into 2025, one of three related trials that in total involve more than two dozen suspects.

A PRINCE, AN EX-LAWMAKER AND FORMER SOLDIERS

The defendants include the highest-profile suspects in the alleged plot, among them Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, whom the group allegedly planned to install as Germany’s provisional new leader; Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a judge and former lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany party; and former German military officers.