Four ringleaders of a planned coup and a plot to kidnap a minister have been sentenced to several years in prison in Germany, in one of several high-profile treason trials which shocked the nation.
A fifth defendant was sentenced to two years and 10 months by the court in the western city of Koblenz, after the trial which began on May 17, 2023.
The group was accused of founding or being members of a terrorist organization called “United Patriots” and preparing to carry out treasonous acts against the government, including kidnapping Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
At the time of the arrests in spring 2022, Lauterbach had a high profile in Cabinet as the leader of the government’s policies to contain the coronavirus epidemic.
The four ringleaders were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years and nine months to eight years.
One of them, a former teacher, was accused of being the group’s “political mastermind.” During the proceedings, she frequently expressed conspiracy theories from the so-called Reichsbürger (Reich Citizens) movement, which does not recognize the authority of the German state.
Aim to topple democratic order
According to the indictment, the group wanted to plunge Germany into chaos.
Their plan was to use bomb attacks to cripple the country’s power supply, kidnap Lauterbach from a talk show and “take out” his bodyguards.
According to the indictment, they wanted to overthrow the government and appoint new leaders in a constituent assembly and reintroduce the 1871 imperial constitution.
An actor was to appear on television as the federal president or chancellor and announce the dismissal of the federal government.
An undercover investigator who offered weapons for sale played an important role in the arrest of the accused men, court documents showed.
In total, 38 witnesses gave testimony at the trial.
Koblenz trial led to Prince Reuss case
Proceedings against two alleged supporters of the group are still ongoing at the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz. Another man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a Frankfurt court in November 2024.
The investigations into the “United Patriots” were the starting point for investigations into another sensational criminal conspiracy, surrounding the figure of Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss.
The alleged ringleaders of this group were arrested in December 2022. They are also said to have planned to overthrow the political system in Germany by force of arms and install a new government.
Prosecutors in the case in court in Frankfurt allege that the group’s paramilitary wing aimed to raid parliament, arrest politicians and ultimately install Reuss as Germany’s new leader.
The accused Sven Birkmann (R), who is alleged to have been a member of the terrorist group “United Patriots” sits in the courtroom next to his lawyer Philipp Grassl. Four ringleaders of a planned coup and a plot to kidnap German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach have been sentenced to several years in prison, a court in the western city of Koblenz announced on Thursday. Thomas Frey/dpa
