"Paladin" - Alleged ringleader of corona opponents arrested
A suspected ringleader of a group that has been wanted for months has been arrested in Portugal. According to investigators, the group also wanted to use weapons to fight against coronavirus measures in Germany. The 39-year-old German is in extradition custody in Portugal, the Koblenz Public Prosecutor General's Office announced.
The man, who most recently lived in Bavaria and against whom charges were brought before the state security chamber of the Koblenz regional court in June 2023, is alleged to have formed a criminal organization and an armed group called "Paladin" with two other defendants between February and May 2021. There were no indications of plans to carry out attacks.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the 39-year-old is said to have produced weapon parts using a 3D printer and trained group members. The man's whereabouts had been unknown since June of this year at the latest. The arrest in Portugal took place in November. It is not yet known if and when the man will be transferred to Germany. The public prosecutor's office did not provide any further details, citing the accused's personal rights.
Man had comrades-in-arms from Rhineland-Palatinate
The ARD political magazine "Panorama"(NDR) and the NDR research format "STRG_F" had previously reported on the case. The investigators are said to have come across evidence during investigations into the manufacture of weapons that the 39-year-old did not arm himself alone.
According to the report, he is said to have used messenger services or social media to try to find comrades-in-arms and network. The 39-year-old, who is wanted on a European arrest warrant, is reportedly from the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, just like a 56-year-old and a 63-year-old suspect. The Public Prosecutor General's Office stated on request that there was a crime scene in Rhineland-Palatinate. This is the reason for the authority's jurisdiction.
According to the Public Prosecutor General's Office, the formation of a criminal organization is punishable by up to five years in prison. In particularly serious cases, for example if a perpetrator is one of the ringleaders, a prison sentence of up to ten years can be imposed. The formation of an armed group, on the other hand, can be punished with a prison sentence of up to two years.
Similar case
The alleged "Paladin" group is reminiscent of the "United Patriots" group. The trial of several suspected members of this group is currently underway at the Koblenz Higher Regional Court (OLG). The four men and one woman in the dock are accused of wanting to found a domestic terrorist organization or having been members of it.
Among other things, the "United Patriots" are said to have planned to cause a widespread power blackout and to kidnap Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). They then allegedly planned to overthrow Germany and establish a new constitution based on the model of the German Empire in 1871.
One of the defendants, for example, described his path into the scene of opponents of corona measures in detail during the trial and reported that he had seen Germany on the way to a dictatorship during the pandemic.
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Source: www.stern.de
