Five far -right extremists who were found guilty today were sentenced to up to 8 years in prison, following a trial for nearly two years, for conspiracy to overthrow the German government, as well as the planned abduction of a health minister.

The four key defendants, three men aged 46 to 58 and a 77 -year -old woman, a former teacher, were sentenced to sentences from 5 years and 9 months to eight years, the Court Court Court said.

All of them were found guilty of “ultimate betrayal”, and one of them was sentenced to 2 years and 10 months in prison.

The “United Patriots” team has been planning since January 2022 “to create conditions for civil war in Germany”, according to a federal prosecutor’s office responsible for terrorism cases. These “Citizens of Reich”, followers of Raichsberger’s ideology, denied democratic values ​​and did not consider the federal government legal. They dreamed of returning to the 2nd Reich of 1871.

They also aimed to kidnap Carl Lauterbach, the Minister of Health of the Government of Olf Saltz, who was particularly unproven to far-right organizations, due to the very strict measures he had taken to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Their plan would have three phases, starting with a sabotage on the electricity production facilities with the aim of causing generalized blasts. It would follow the abduction of the minister and the murder of his bodyguards if needed.

These actions would create the conditions for the “Civil War” and the emergence of a new leader around which team members would take on important positions.

Following the announcement of the decision, Lauterbach thanked the police and justice that “punished” the perpetrators of the conspiracy. “The state has shown that it can defend itself against violent conspirators,” he said.

A few months after arresting members of the group in April 2022, the German authorities dismissed another armed network that had been set up around a German aristocrat and former military. This network, which had also adopted Raichsberger’s ideology, wanted to overthrow the institutions and attack Bundestag.