They wanted to kidnap the health minister, shut down the power supply in Germany and ultimately overthrow the government: one of the men accused of forming a terrorist organization confesses.
One of the accused, who is said to have planned the kidnapping of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, has made a confession, according to “Spiegel”. The accountant and former NVA soldier Sven B. largely acknowledged the allegations made by the federal prosecutor, as the magazine reported, citing his lawyer. Accordingly, the kidnapping was to be followed by a political coup.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is investigating a total of five suspects on suspicion of forming a terrorist organization. In addition, they are accused in various ways of preparing a serious act of violence that is dangerous to the state, of violating weapons law and of attempting to participate in a crime. Four men who are known by name, including Sven B., were arrested in mid-April and have been in custody since then. So far, nothing is known about the fifth suspect.
The suspects are said to have planned attacks in addition to kidnapping Lauterbach, but the group was exposed before the crime was carried out. Rhineland-Palatinate investigators had previously smashed the right-wing extremist chat group United Patriots. According to the federal prosecutor, there is a suspicion that the group wanted to bring about the overthrow of the federal government and parliamentary democracy. In addition, a nationwide blackout was planned due to the damage or destruction of the power supply and the violent kidnapping of Lauterbach.
According to the “Spiegel” report, Sven B. planned, according to his defense attorney Philipp Grassl, to temporarily arrest the minister with armed men and to announce an “arrest warrant” against him in front of the cameras. Then several hundred Telegram contacts should come together at a secret location to prepare a change of government.
B.’s motive was a deep dissatisfaction with German politics, especially the Corona measures, the magazine reported, citing his lawyer. The 54-year-old Sven B., like the three other suspects arrested at the same time, is attributed to the Corona protest scene. One of them was arrested in Neustadt an der Weinstraße when trying to buy pistols and Kalashnikov rifles from an undercover investigator. A suspect from Bavaria was already hoarding weapons.
