The name stems from the online handle of André Schmitt, a
non-commissioned officer in the
Kommando Spezialkräfte, who founded, administered, and coordinated the network beginning in autumn 2015. Schmitt supplied the network with confidential information about Germany's security situation. Some of the groups linked to the Hannibal network developed concrete plans for violent actions on "Day X", preparing safe houses, stockpiling arms and ammunition, and compiling lists of political enemies. Among the participants were army reservists, police officers, judges, members of
SEK police tactical units, and other German security authorities. The German news media likened the group to
Organisation Consul and similar nationalist cells within the
Reichswehr that plotted to overthrow the
Weimar Republic during the 1920s and called Hannibal a "shadow army". Schmitt stated in 2016 that the network had around 2,000 members in total. The chat network was subdivided into four regional groups in Germany, as well as one group each for Austria and Switzerland. The German regional groups followed the boundaries of the former German . ==Government investigation==