Germany wants to make it easier to fire civil servants seen as “enemies” of democracy and is considering tightening its gun laws, the interior minister said on Wednesday, after a coup plotting network was taken down by AFP and an Agerpres report.

“We don’t want extremists to threaten our democracy from within, within the civil service itself,” Nancy Feiser told the press.

A week ago, police dismantled a cell fueled by the ideology of the “Reichsburger,” the “Citizens of the Reich,” a movement that does not recognize the state and that has grown with health care restrictions against Covid-19.

According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, this small group planned a coup that culminated in the seizure of parliament.

Among the 25 alleged conspirators arrested were a judge, a former lawmaker from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), current and former Bundeswehr (German army) officers, and police officers.

According to media reports, they include, in particular, a former police commissioner from Hanover, who has already been suspended for his extremist views, and a police officer from the same city responsible for investigating the far right.

Nancy Feiser said she was preparing a bill “so that in the future enemies of the Constitution can be more quickly removed from public service,” foreseeing the use of decrees rather than lawsuits.

Negotiations in the German government on strengthening port legislation

The Social Democrat minister also wants to strengthen legislation on the carrying of weapons, which is already included in the coalition government contract.

“Combat semi-automatic weapons have no place in the hands of private individuals,” she said.

However, negotiations are expected to be difficult, as liberal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann has already said he opposes the project. Searches across Germany turned up a large number of weapons, from crossbows to rifles and ammunition.

According to information leaked to the press over the past few days, investigators also received about a thousand “confidentiality statements” from people approached by the small group.

The alleged conspirators, of whom Prince Reuss Heinrich XIII is believed to be a central figure, allegedly planned to set up “companies for the defense of the fatherland” across Germany and had already begun preparations to do so.