Six British children have been rescued from an ‘illegal hideout’ in an Austrian cellar.

They were reportedly living with a 54-year-old man obsessed with conspiracy theorists, as well as his wife, 40.

The children – all under the age of five – had been hidden in an abandoned wine cellar in the village of Obritz, MailOnline reports.

They were only found after a major police operation saw officers storm the building.

Locals had previously raised concerns that children’s voices were being heard from within the cellar.

According to reports, the 54-year-old man was a member of the Reichsbürger, a group of right-wing extremists.

Members of the group believe the German empire still exists as it did before the Second World War.

‘Reichsbürger’ means ‘Reich Citizens’ or ‘Citizens of the Reich’ – while ‘reich’ itself refers to a ‘realm’ or ’empire’ in English.

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Austrian Police stated that the man had attacked two social workers with pepper spray when they visited his home at 3pm on Thursday.

He reportedly then barricaded himself in the building before police were called.

The British children were said to be found alongside a collection of guns.

Local reports state the wine cellar had ‘inadequate sanitation’ and was ‘not suitable for children.’

What is the Reichsbürger movement in Germany?

The ‘Reichsbürger’ in Germany is a far-right, extremist movement.

It is believed to be made up of individuals and smaller organisations, who reject the Federal Republic of Germany (the current state of Germany), its government and the authorities.

They are said to want the country to be returned to its pre-war state, the German Reich, which existed before the end of the Second World War.

‘Reichsbürger’ means ‘Reich Citizens’ or ‘Citizens of the Reich’ – while ‘reich’ itself refers to a ‘realm’ or ’empire’ in English.

A number of security cameras were also observed within the building.

Police sources told the Telegraph that the children were not locked up or neglected.

They have since been taken into care due to concerns over a lack of proof as to the children’s identity.

In Austria all births have to be registered by law with local authorities, but no records have been found for any of the children. 

In December, a group of Reichsbürger were arrested in Germany in major police raids on suspected far-right extremists.

A group had plotted to overthrow the German government by force – and hoped to install a self-declared prince as the country’s new leader.

The raids were described by Germany’s Justice Minister Marco Buschmann as ‘a major anti-terror operation’ – and he wrote on Twitter (translated from German) that ‘there is a suspicion that an armed attack on constitutional bodies was planned’.

Among the suspects was a man, 71, going by the nickname ‘Prince Heinrich XIII’, believed to be the leader of the so-called ‘Reichsbürger’ movement.

During the investigation, police had found a list of 18 enemy politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who the group are said to have planned to execute. 

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