See the video: “Counted on numerous deaths”: “United Patriots” are said to have planned the overthrow and Lauterbach kidnapping.
The trial against suspected members of the “United Patriots” group began on Wednesday before the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz. Among other things, they are said to have planned to kidnap Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach. In January, federal prosecutors filed charges against four men aged 44 to 56 and a 75-year-old woman. The charge is high treason and founding a domestic terrorist organization or membership in it. The group, founded in mid-January 2022, has set itself the goal of bringing about civil war-like conditions in Germany. According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the accused, including the alleged ringleader Elisabeth R., belong to the group of so-called Reich citizens. They wanted to replace the existing state system with their own, based on the constitution of the German Empire. Wolfgang Barrot, senior public prosecutor at the Federal Court of Justice: “The defendants planned to proceed in several stages. Among other things, they intended to kidnap the incumbent Federal Minister of Health by force of arms and to cause a nationwide power failure lasting several weeks. The defendants expected numerous deaths.” Lauterbach was targeted after becoming the face of increasingly unpopular anti-Covid measures with a segment of the population. His client had primarily rejected the corona vaccination, says Phillip Grassl, lawyer for the accused Sven BB, but had a bloodless change of government in mind. Phillip Grassl, lawyer for the accused Sven B: “We would like to show that the accused, at least our client, was not so far along at the time of the arrest that one can assume that a terrorist organization had already been founded. That means we would like to show that factually, locally and also personally, these people were not yet ready to have founded a terrorist organization and were not yet ready to actually prepare high treason.” According to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, however, B. had a military leadership position within the group. Together with the accused Thomas O., he is said to have tried to procure weapons and explosives. O. was arrested after ordering and receiving assault rifles and ammunition.