Germany: Judges confirm arrest of 23 alleged coup plotters

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities say judges have confirmed the arrest of 23 people suspected of planning to topple the government, while the extradition of two others detained abroad is being sought. Prosecutors said Friday that 22 German citizens and a Russian woman detained from across Germany on Wednesday have appeared before a federal court for their arraignment and will remain in custody as the investigation proceeds. Extradition proceedings have been initiated in the case of two others detained in Italy and Austria. German authorities described the suspects as being part of the far-right Reich Citizens movement. Its adherents deny the legitimacy of the present-day German constitution and government, claiming instead that the German empire, or Reich, of 1871 still exists.