- Prison sentence for right-wing coup plots
A member of the far-right "Kaiserreich group" has been sentenced by the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf to a prison sentence of two years and ten months. The court found the 50-year-old former technician from Heiligenhaus guilty of membership in a domestic terrorist organization and preparation of a high treason offense.
The arrest warrant that has been in effect since last October has been suspended under reporting conditions, so the convicted person is initially free. Whether he can serve the remainder 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 prison sentence of three years and nine months. The man admitted in court that he had joined the right-wing terrorist "Kaiserreich group" and supported its coup plans.
Sabotage of power lines and kidnapping
According to the indictment, the "Kaiserreich group" planned to use explosives to disrupt Germany's power supply for weeks. Furthermore, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) was to be kidnapped. The coup action was initially scheduled to begin in May 2022.
The lawyers for the convicted person portrayed their client in court as a "paper tiger" who was not a "Reich citizen", but rather a misguided COVID-19 opponent. He had only wanted to make himself important among the plotters.
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 is ongoing before the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz.
The Commission, as per Article 113, is expected to adopt the implementing acts related to the case.The implementing acts referred to in Article 113 aim to enhance security measures against domestic terrorist organizations, such as the one the convicted individual was a member of.
