Five Germans are Tried for Allegedly Plotting a Coup

In Germany, five persons are currently on trial for allegedly plotting to abduct the health minister and destroy the government in opposition to Covid-19 limitations.

In order to topple the government and parliamentary democracy, the four males, who range in age from 44 to 56, and one lady, who is 75, are accused of wanting to “trigger civil war-like conditions in Germany by means of violence.”

They apparently intended to brutally kidnap Karl Lauterbach, the health minister, who has fallen out of favor with far-right organizations because to his anti-Covid policies.

According to reports, the suspects thought that the country’s actual form of administration was the German empire of the 19th century and that an authoritarian style of rule should be reinstated.

Elisabeth R, a female suspect, is suspected of being the ringleader.

They have the same ideals as the extreme right Reichsbürger (Citizens of the Reich) organization, which contests the validity of Germany’s post-World War II constitution and has similar

They apparently intended to destroy power lines in order to cause a widespread blackout before kidnapping Lauterbach and, if necessary, murdering his bodyguards. Prosecutors said that after that, they planned to convene a special assembly in Berlin to formally overthrow the current administration and install a new one.

There were no signs that the United Patriots organization, which went by that name, was about to attempt a takeover. Prosecutors, however, claimed that the group’s acquisition of cash and weapons demonstrated that they were “dangerous criminals who wanted to carry out their plans.”

Police confiscated 22 weapons, including a Kalashnikov rifle, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition when the suspects were apprehended in April 2022. They also found substantial quantities of cash, gold, and silver.

It is claimed that the lady, who was detained six months later, wrote a number of documents for the organization, including a “arrest warrant” for Lauterbach. Additionally, the retired teacher sent letters to Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, and Vladimir Putin.

Lauterbach demanded harsh punishments for the defendants on Wednesday in order to help prevent “copycats”. He said that “strong social polarisation” in German society, particularly on internet platforms, was the cause of an increase in threats and even murderous plans against politicians.

“Society still exhibits severe forms of radicalization… It isn’t slowing down. We will face far more difficulties, he predicted to Der Spiegel.

The Reichsbürger, long derided by detractors as misfits and oddballs, have radicalized more recently and are now viewed as a significant security danger.

Although investigators have not connected that organization to the one that is said to have planned to kidnap Lauterbach, in December it was discovered that another far-right gang, which included an ex-MP and an aristocrat, was plotting to topple the government.