BERLIN — Germany has banned a secessionist group known as “Kingdom of Germany” that proclaimed to run a “counter-state” under the rule of an absolute monarch.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the ban Tuesday along with raids on the group across seven German states. Four alleged leaders of the self-described “kingdom,” including its “king,” Peter Fitzek — a man once convicted of running illegal banking operations — were arrested. A fifth property was searched in Switzerland.

“These extremists created a counter-state in Germany and ran criminal financial operations,” Dobrindt said in a statement. “They reinforce their bogus claim to power with antisemitic conspiracy theories,” he added. “A constitutional democracy cannot tolerate this.”

The “Kingdom of Germany” was founded in 2012 in the eastern German city of Wittenberg and became known for running unlicensed banking operations and promoting its own laws. Fitzek ruled as “King Peter I,” appointing two deputies and a finance chief.

The ban comes after heightened scrutiny of Germany’s so-called Reichsbürger scene, or “Citizens of the Reich,” after a 2022 coup plot involving another faction. The movement consists of individuals and small groups who reject the legitimacy of the modern German state, insisting that the German Reich continues to exist. Many believe Germany continues to be under allied occupation.

There are some 25,000 people active in Reichsbürger groups nationwide, according to Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.

In Germany, organizations — including political parties — deemed to be against the constitutional order can be legally banned.

German mainstream politicians are currently debating whether to attempt a ban of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, now the country’s largest opposition party in parliament. The legal bar for banning a political party remains high, however, and many worry that attempting to ban the AfD would only politically strengthen it.