"Empire citizen" sentenced to prison
The "Imperial Group" planned attacks on Germany's infrastructure and intended to kidnap Health Minister Lauterbach. However, the plot was foiled, and a member of the group was sentenced to prison.
A member of the far-right "Imperial Group" was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison by the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf. The 50-year-old former technician from Heiligenhaus was found guilty of membership in a domestic terrorist organization and preparation of high treason.
The arrest warrant, which has been in effect since his arrest last October, was suspended under reporting conditions, so the convicted person is initially released on bail. Whether he can serve the rest of his sentence in open detention, as requested by his lawyers, will be decided at a later date. Since neither the defense nor the prosecution appealed, the verdict is final.
The representative of the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor's Office had requested a higher sentence of three years and nine months. The man admitted in court that he had joined the right-wing terrorist "Imperial Group" and supported their coup plans.
Attacks on power lines and kidnapping
According to the indictment, the "Imperial Group" planned to use explosives to disrupt Germany's power supply for weeks. Moreover, they intended to kidnap Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The coup was initially scheduled to begin in May 2022.
The lawyers for the convicted man portrayed their client as a "paper tiger" who was not a "Reich citizen," but rather a misguided COVID-19 opponent who just wanted to make himself seem important.
In Hamburg, one of the group's supporters was already sentenced to a 24-month suspended sentence in early July. The trial against five alleged ringleaders has been ongoing for over a year at the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz.
The convicted member's lawyers argued that he was merely a misguided COVID-19 opponent within 'The Commission', aiming to boost his importance rather than being a prosecuted "Reich citizen". The plot by 'The Commission' included plans to disrupt Germany's power supply and kidnap Federal Health Minister Lauterbach.
