Group planned kidnapping of Lauterbach: "Highly dangerous" - Scholz expresses solidarity

Created: 04/15/2022, 06:30

By: Cindy Boden, Michelle Brey, Fabian Müller

The General Prosecutor's Office in Koblenz is investigating members of Telegram groups.

They are said to have planned attacks and a kidnapping of Karl Lauterbach.

Update from April 14, 6:55 p.m .:

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz * underlined the need for rigorous action by the authorities against violent “enemies of our democracy” in view of the smashing of a right-wing extremist group in Rhineland-Palatinate.

"We will fight the enemies of our democracy with all means of the rule of law," Scholz wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

At the same time, the Chancellor announced his "solidarity" with Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

According to the investigators, the smashed chat group called "United Patriots" had planned, among other things, to kidnap Lauterbach.

Scholz tweeted, referring to the discussion about Lauterbach's course in the Corona pandemic *: "Everyone in Germany is allowed to say their opinion.

But our liberties have limits.

And these are exceeded when violence is threatened.”

Lauterbach himself wrote that the corona debate was “increasingly being abused by enemies of the state”.

He wanted to "further bring together" the opponents and supporters of his work.

But "I will not give way to violence," said the Minister of Health on Twitter.

Update from April 14, 1:30 p.m .:

In view of the reports of a possible kidnapping plan against him

, Karl Lauterbach is “dismayed” in his own words.

On the sidelines of a clinic visit in Husum (Schleswig-Holstein), the SPD politician thanked the investigating authorities and the Federal Criminal Police Office "for the good protection and surveillance".

"I obviously benefited from that and I'm very grateful for that," says Lauterbach.

He could not say anything about the status of the investigation.

Lauterbach kidnapping and attacks planned: accused wanted to overthrow "democratic system in Germany".

First report:

Munich/Berlin – Twelve men and women are the focus of the investigations by the Koblenz public prosecutor’s office.

According to information from the ARD political magazine

, they are said to have planned to cause a nationwide power failure by attacking substations and power lines.

"According to the accused, this was intended to cause civil war-like conditions and ultimately to overthrow the democratic system in Germany," said a statement from the Attorney General's Office and the State Criminal Police Office of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Lauterbach kidnapping and attacks planned: Public prosecutors are investigating against the Telegram group

In an action called "Klabutermann" they are said to have also planned to kidnap Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach* and "switch off" his bodyguards.

As the AFP news agency learned from Berlin ministry circles, Lauterbach had been informed by the investigators that there were plans for his kidnapping.

Lauterbach took a stand against

(BamS).

According to the Minister of Health, some Covid deniers are not concerned with the fight against vaccinations* or conditions, but with the fight against the basic democratic order.

"But they won't be able to do that.

I will not let this deter me, but will continue to work for the entire population," he said.

“This example shows how divided our society is.

Overcoming this division and regaining trust remains the goal of my policy.”

Most recently, the Bundestag decided that there would be no vaccination requirement from the age of 60.

Lauterbach kidnapping and attacks planned: Four suspects arrested

Specifically, these are the right-wing extremist Telegram chat groups “United Patriots” and “Active Patriots”.

The investigations into the “United Patriots” group have been ongoing since October 2021. According to the Koblenz public prosecutor’s office, on Wednesday (April 13, 2022) there were searches of 20 properties in Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Bavaria, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia , Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.

Around 270 officers, including special units, were deployed.

According to the information, 22 firearms, including a Kalashnikov assault rifle, as well as ammunition, cash, gold bars, silver coins and foreign currency were seized during the searches.

There are also mobile phones, data carriers, fake vaccination cards and fake test certificates.

Germans aged 55, 54, 50, 42 and 41 are accused of preparing a serious act of violence that is dangerous to the state and of violating the Weapons and War Weapons Control Act.

The people of the coronavirus * protest scene and the Reich Citizens' Movement can be assigned.

Weapons, ammunition, cash, gold bars and silver coins were seized during the searches.

Four suspects were arrested and arrest warrants had been applied for.

The main suspects are said to be from Neustadt/Weinstrasse in Rhineland-Palatinate and from Brandburg.

According to the investigators, the Telegram chat group “United Patriots” has a total of around 70 members.