Five Sentenced for Plotting to Overthrow German Government
A German court has convicted five people for attempting to overthrow the government in a far-right coup. The defendants, four men aged 46 to 58 and a 77-year-old woman, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two years and ten months to eight years by the Koblenz Higher Regional Court.
Prosecutors revealed that the group, known as “United Patriots,” had planned to trigger a nationwide crisis by sabotaging infrastructure and kidnapping former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. They aimed to create “conditions similar to civil war” by using explosives to cause power outages across Germany.
Authorities linked the group to the Reichsbürger movement, which denies the legitimacy of Germany’s postwar constitution. Their ideology shares similarities with the Sovereign Citizens and QAnon movements in the United States.
Although their coup plot never reached execution, prosecutors argued that their possession of weapons and financial resources proved their intent to act. Security officials warned that the group’s activities posed a significant threat to national stability.
The case is separate from a larger conspiracy uncovered in December 2022, in which more than two dozen individuals, including a former far-right party member, were arrested for plotting a similar government takeover. German authorities continue to monitor extremist activities closely.