A German court has sentenced five members of an extremist group linked to the Reichsbürger movement to prison for plotting a coup and kidnapping Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The convicted individuals, four men aged 46 to 58 and a 77-year-old woman, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years and nine months to eight years.
The group, self-identified as the “United Patriots,” had planned to seize power through violence and sabotage, including disabling the national electricity grid in an operation dubbed “Silent Night.” They aimed to create conditions for a civil war in Germany and hoped to recruit dissatisfied security forces members in the ensuing chaos.
Lauterbach, a prominent figure despised by many Covid-19 restriction opponents, thanked the police and judiciary for their swift action in addressing the planned crime.
The Reichsbürger movement, which refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the modern German state, draws inspiration from conspiracy theories, including global movements like QAnon. The court also found two defendants guilty of weapon offenses and planning acts of violence threatening the state.
The suspects were arrested in 2022, and the trial began in May 2023. Following the verdict, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized the seriousness of the threat, declaring, “We are protecting our democracy.”
