Five jailed in Germany for far-right plot to overthrow the government

A German court has jailed five people for plotting to overthrow the country's government in a far-right coup.

The defendants also planned to kidnap a former German health minister.

The defendants were convicted of founding or being a member of a terrorist organisation called "Vereinte Patrioten" (United Patriots) and of preparing treasonous acts against the German government involving explosives and attacks on the country's power grid.

On Thursday, Koblenz Higher Regional Court sentenced the ringleaders — four men aged between 46 and 58 — to prison terms ranging from five years and nine months to eight years.

The fifth defendant — a 77-year-old woman — received a jail term of two years and ten months.

Their names were not released for privacy reasons.

The sentences mark the end of a trial which began in May 2023.

Federal prosecutors said during the trial that the defendants had ties to the Reichsbürger (Reich Citizens) movement that rejects the legitimacy of Germany’s postwar constitution.

Prosecutors said the group planned to create "conditions similar to civil war" by using bombs to cause nationwide blackouts and by kidnapping former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who was an advocate of strict coronavirus measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

There were no indications that the defendants were actually close to launching a coup, but prosecutors said the group’s procurement of weapons and money showed they were "dangerous criminals who wanted to implement their plans".

In a separate case, 25 people were arrested in December 2022 for planning to topple the government as part of a domestic terrorist organisation. Among the plotters was a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Berlin has warned for years of the growing threat posed by far-right extremists and has repeatedly cracked down on such groups.