German police swoop on far-right Reichsbürger group

German prosecutors say police have conducted a series of raids across several states in connection with a plot to carry out explosive attacks on Germany's power supply and kidnap a senior politician.

The suspects were linked to the Reichsbürger movement, members of which have been accused of plotting to forcibly overthrow the German political system and install a new government.

What we know so far

Public prosecutors in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia, Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg reported simultaneous raids on Tuesday.

Officers made five arrests over an alleged plot to mount explosive attacks on Germany's power infrastructure and kidnap German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

In Rheinland Palatinate, a 52-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were arrested.

The man is suspected of having scouted high-voltage lines, while the woman is said to have operated several chat groups in which additional supporters were recruited. She is also said to have created a document with instructions for making explosives.

According to the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor's Office, a 49-year-old was arrested in North Rhine-Westphalia, who was supposed to have a "regional leadership role" in the group. 

A 61-year-old arrested in Hesse was said to have attended group meetings and agreed to work on Lauterbach's kidnapping.

He was also supposed to be part of a delegation that would travel by ship across the Baltic Sea to Russian coastal waters after the planned coup. The group's idea was to negotiate a "collaboration" with Russian state authorities and to procure military equipment.

Lauterbach tweeted his gratitude on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

"I thank the investigators, to whom I probably owe my life," he said.

Prosecutors have linked the group with the "United Patriots" offshoot of the Reichsbürger movement, which is said to have planned a coup and a new constitution based on the German empire of 1871. 

Five alleged members of the United Patriots were already on trial before the arrests. Koblenz's Higher Regional Court charged the four men and one woman with planning a coup and intending to kill the health minister. 

rc/sms (AFP, dpa)

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