A German court convicted five far-right extremists for plotting a coup and kidnapping the former health minister, sentencing them to up to eight years in prison.

A German court on Thursday convicted five individuals for plotting to overthrow the government in a far-right coup and attempting to kidnap the former health minister.

The Koblenz Higher Regional Court handed down prison sentences to four ringleaders, ranging from five years and nine months to eight years. A fifth defendant was sentenced to two years and ten months, according to the German news agency dpa.

The convicted individuals included four men between the ages of 46 and 58, as well as a 77-year-old woman. They were accused of either founding or being members of a terrorist organization known as "United Patriots" and of preparing a highly treasonous act against the German government.

During the trial, federal prosecutors stated that the group had ties to the so-called Reich Citizens movement, which denies the legitimacy of Germany’s postwar constitution. This movement shares similarities with the Sovereign Citizens and QAnon movements in the United States.

According to prosecutors, the group's objective was to create "conditions similar to civil war" by using explosives to trigger nationwide blackouts. They then planned to kidnap former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, who had been a prominent advocate of strict coronavirus measures during the pandemic.

Although there was no evidence that the group was close to executing a coup, prosecutors argued that their efforts to acquire weapons and financial resources demonstrated that they were "dangerous criminals who wanted to implement their plans."

This case is separate from another high-profile plot in December 2022, in which more than two dozen people were arrested for planning to overthrow the government. That group included a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.