Far-Right gang convicted over plot to overthrow German government
A far-Right extremist gang has been convicted in Germany over a plot to overthrow the government and kidnap the health minister.
The five defendants were jailed on Thursday after being found guilty of high treason and belonging to a terrorist organisation.
All five were found to be members of the United Patriots, part of the so-called Reichsbürger movement in Germany, which rejects the modern post-war state and wants to restore imperial rule under a kaiser.
A court in Koblenz handed down prison sentences to the defendants, four men and one woman, ranging from two to eight years. The woman, 77, was a former teacher whom prosecutors regarded as the 'political mastermind' of the group.
Prosecutors said the group wanted to create civil war-like conditions by blowing up power grids and causing blackouts.
They then intended to kidnap Karl Lauterbach, the health minister, during a television chat show after 'eliminating' his bodyguards. Mr Lauterbach is a figure of scorn for some in Germany because of his support for strict anti-Covid restrictions during the pandemic.
While the plot did not appear to have been close to fruition, prosecutors said the gang had obtained weapons and money, and were 'dangerous criminals who wanted to implement their plans'.
The case was one of two high-profile Reichsbürger trials underway in Germany.
The other involves an eccentric German aristocrat, Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, who is charged with being the figurehead of another plot to overthrow the government.
Prince Reuss and his alleged co-conspirators are accused of planning to march into the German parliament with an armed group to arrest MPs on what they dubbed 'Day X'.
Their apparent goal was to restore the German empire of 1871 to 1918, the creation of which was overseen by Otto von Bismarck, but later abolished in the aftermath of the First World War.
German officials estimate there are about 21,000 followers of the Reichsbürger movement, though it is unclear how many of them are hardened coup-plotters, as opposed to harmless eccentrics.
Prince Reuss is a former wine producer and property developer who enjoys reading about conspiracy theories. His lawyers have maintained that he is not violent and did not fully understand the implications of the plot. His trial continues.
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