Investigators expose a group that is said to have planned attacks on the power supply and the kidnapping of Health Minister Lauterbach. The Interior Minister speaks of a serious terrorist threat.
Extremist members of a nationwide chat group made up of so-called Reich citizens and opponents of the Corona policy are said to have planned explosive attacks and the kidnapping of Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in Germany.
In doing so, they would have terrified the population and wanted to use the desired chaos to take power in Germany, investigators said on Thursday in Mainz.
Four suspects arrested
Four suspects were arrested in nationwide searches on Wednesday. The two main suspects are a 55-year-old from Neustadt an der Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate and a 54-year-old man from Falkensee in Brandenburg, said the lead public prosecutor in Koblenz and the Rhineland-Palatinate State Criminal Police Office. The four arrested are accused of preparing a serious act of violence that is dangerous to the state and of violating the Weapons and War Weapons Control Act. An arrest warrant was issued against her.
According to the information, 22 firearms, including a Kalashnikov assault rifle, as well as ammunition, cash, gold bars, silver coins and foreign currency were seized during the searches. Rhineland-Palatinate was the focus with five searches. Three other properties were searched in Bavaria and Lower Saxony, two each in North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Thuringia. There were also searches in Baden-Württemberg, Schleswig-Holstein and Brandenburg.
«United Patriots» on Telegram
According to the investigators, the chat group in the short message service Telegram called itself “United Patriots”, but sometimes also “Germany Day X” or gave itself other names. The group, which is said to have around 70 members, initially wanted to carry out attacks on power lines and substations with a “Blackout Action” and thus allow the power supply to collapse. After that, Health Minister Lauterbach was to be kidnapped during the “Klabautermann campaign”. In a third step, the takeover of the government was then sought.
The problem with such investigations is always the question of whether you are just dealing with “crazy people” who want to make their mark on the Internet and want to show off “loudly” in front of their fellow campaigners, explained the Koblenz Attorney General Jürgen Brauer. “In this case, however, it was different, namely at the moment when it came to procuring the weapons.” The group got money and weapons. “It was clear to us: We’re not just dealing with crackpots, but with dangerous criminals who want to implement their plans and probably can.”
Faeser: “Serious terrorist threat”
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser spoke of a “serious terrorist threat”. The SPD politician added: “The investigations reveal an abyss.” Armed citizens of the Reich and radicalized Corona deniers share a boundless hatred of democracy, of the state and of people who stand up for the community. Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) told the “Rheinische Post”: “Anyone who follows plans for attacks and kidnappings is laying an ax on our free democracy. I am all the more pleased that our security authorities have apparently done very good investigative work. »
Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on Twitter: “My solidarity goes to Karl Lauterbach: Everyone in Germany is allowed to speak their mind. But our liberties have limits.” These are exceeded when violence is threatened. “We will fight the enemies of our democracy with all means of the rule of law,” emphasized the SPD politician.
The Rhineland-Palatinate Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) said that the plans were “right-wing terrorism”. The success of the investigation came from Rhineland-Palatinate, where the Office for the Protection of the Constitution provided the crucial information. The case also shows that citizens can rely on being protected by the state.
The investigation has been underway since last October. The authorities in Rhineland-Palatinate are in charge, since the 55-year-old main suspect lives there. Overall, the investigators speak of twelve German nationals between the ages of 41 and 55 who are accused.
Lauterbach is dismayed
Federal Health Minister Lauterbach was “dismayed” by the possible kidnapping plan against him. He thanked the investigating authorities and the Federal Criminal Police Office “for the good protection and surveillance. I obviously benefited from that and I’m very grateful for that,” he said. The process shows that the Corona protests have not only become more radical, but that it is now also about destabilizing the state and democracy. The minister wrote on Twitter in the evening: “I want to continue to bring opponents and supporters of my work together. But I will not yield to violence.”
Source: Stern
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