BACK

Five Germans charged over coup plot

AFP
Tuesday, Jan 24, 2023

BERLIN: Five Germans have been charged with treason over a far-right plot to overthrow the government that included plans to abduct the health minister, prosecutors said on Monday.

The four men and a woman were arrested in recent months over the plot, with Health Minister Karl Lauterbach -- unpopular among far-right groups because of anti-Covid measures -- confirming that he was targeted.

They were charged on January 16 and face counts ranging from founding a domestic terror group to preparing a treasonous act and violating weapons laws, the federal prosecutors´ office said. The group aimed to “trigger civil war-like conditions in Germany by means of violence... to cause the overthrow of the government and parliamentary democracy,” it said in a statement.