Five members of a German far -right group were closed to plot the government and abduct their health minister.
Four of the group were described as the “leaders” of a “terrorist organization”, which plans to use violence to provoke conditions similar to the civil war in Germany.
The group planned to abduct the Minister of Health Carl Lauterbach, a supporter of the strict Covid -19 measures during the pandemic – and to kill his bodyguards if necessary.
Interior Minister Nancy Fasser said the defendants had a “huge threat” to national security.
The Supreme Regional Court of Koblenz heard that the group gathered in January 2022 and created a plan that included an attack on sabotage to deactivate the power line.
The group – made up of four men between the ages of 46 and 58 and a 77 -year -old woman – hoped they would join the dissatisfied members of the security forces.
Four defendants, described as leaders, were sentenced to between five years and nine months and eight years in prison by a court in West Germany.
Fifth defendant received two years and a 10-month sentence after the almost two-year process.
The identity of the five convicted was not publicly disclosed.
The group is related to the Reich citizens whose followers believe the German Empire, which collapsed in 1918, continues to exist. Investigators say he was led by Heinrich XIII Prince Reus, a German aristocrat.
It is also claimed to have drawn inspiration from the movement of Qanon's conspiracy theory, which is associated with some supporters of Donald Trump in the US.
Following the sentence, Lauterbach – from the left -wing of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) – thanked the police and stated that the state had shown “it can be protected by violent conspiracy theorists.”
Fasser said, “The violent coup plans for attacks on the electrical infrastructure for the abduction of the Minister of Health Carl Lauterbach and the murder of his bodyguards have shown a huge threat.”
She added that the security services “take the threats reflected by the citizens on the Reich stage and” we defend our democracy. “
The conviction follows several tests aimed at far -right groups related to the Reich citizens who reject the legitimacy of the modern German state.