A strange conspiracy was uncovered in Germany: they were plotting to kidnap a minister and overthrow the government

The conspirators were ready to kill the bodyguards of the head of the German Ministry of Health

Five Germans have been charged in connection with another alleged far-right plot against the German government. Four men and a woman are accused of plotting to kidnap the health minister and overthrow the German government.

Five Germans have been charged with treason in connection with an alleged far-right plot to overthrow the government, which included plans to kidnap the health minister, prosecutors announced.

According to The Guardian, four men and a woman have been arrested in recent months on conspiracy charges, and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, unpopular with far-right groups because of COVID measures, has confirmed he has been targeted by conspirators.

The suspects were indicted Jan. 16 and face charges ranging from creating a domestic terrorist group to preparing a state act and violating gun laws, federal prosecutors said Monday.

The right-wing group sought to “provoke civil war-like conditions in Germany through violence … to bring about the overthrow of the government and parliamentary democracy,” prosecutors said in a statement.

The suspects agreed that deaths could have resulted from the overthrow of the government, prosecutors said in a statement.

It is alleged that the group’s ideology was “shaped” by the accused woman – identified only as Elisabeth R. – and centered on the belief that the modern German state was not legitimate. According to the supporters of this ideology, the German Empire of the 19th century was the true system of government in the country, and the authoritarian order of government should be restored.

Their beliefs echo those of the far-right “Reichsburger” (Citizens of the Reich) movement, which rejects the institutions of modern Germany and is attracting a growing following.

According to prosecutors, the five members organized themselves into “military” and “administrative” units to plan a coup d’état, which included launching a “protracted nationwide blackout by damaging or destroying important electrical facilities” and then supposedly kidnapping Health Minister Lauterbach, with the coup plotters were ready to kill his bodyguards if necessary.

According to the prosecutors, then it was planned to convene a special meeting in Berlin to publicly overthrow the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and appoint a new leader. The suspects sought support via the messaging app Telegram.

According to prosecutors, one of the defendants, Sven B., was supposed to lead the kidnapping of Karl Lauterbach, while Thomas O. conducted reconnaissance of the areas as part of the blackout plans and received maps of the electricity supply infrastructure.

The two men also tried to acquire explosives they wanted to import from the former Yugoslavia, and a man named Thomas O was arrested after receiving assault rifles, pistols and ammunition.

Elizabeth R., along with three others, was in charge of recruiting potential members of the group. “She insisted on the speedy implementation of the plan and repeatedly named specific dates,” prosecutors said.

Another far-right group planning to overthrow the government, including a former member of parliament and an aristocrat, was uncovered in December, though authorities did not link the group to the one that planned to kidnap Lauterbach.