Six British children rescued from ‘living with conspiracy theorist’ in 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.

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.’

Source of data and images: metro