Overview

• A German court convicted five members of the far-right United Patriots group for plotting to overthrow the government and kidnap former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
• The defendants received prison sentences ranging from two years and ten months to eight years for high treason and membership in a terrorist organization.
• Prosecutors revealed the group planned to cause nationwide blackouts by bombing power grids and creating chaos to facilitate their coup attempt.
• The group was linked to the Reichsbürger movement, which rejects Germany’s postwar constitution and seeks to restore the 1871 imperial constitution.
• Authorities emphasized that while the plot was not close to execution, the group had obtained weapons and funds, marking them as dangerous criminals.