A man involved in Germany’s right-wing extremist Reich Citizens movement was sentenced to prison on Monday for conspiring to stage a coup and kidnap Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
The 62-year-old was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a regional court in Frankfurt after being convicted of participating in the preparation of high treason as well as membership in a terrorist organization.
He was convicted of being part of the so-called Kaiserreichsgruppe, a sprawling group of conspirators from the fringe Reich Citizens movement who allegedly plotted the violent overthrow of Germany’s democratic government during the coronavirus pandemic.
Undercover police agents managed to infiltrate the group, and the first suspects were arrested in April 2022 during a series of high-profile police raids. News of the alleged plot attracted global media attention.
The 62-year-old defendant convicted on Monday had agreed to store the necessary weapons in his garage, among other steps to advance the alleged plot.
In his final statement to the court, the man said that he regretted his crime. He has been held in custody for about a year.
