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Police in German on Thursday arrested a woman accused of being the ringleader of a far-right anti-lockdown group that planned to kidnap Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.
The plot was uncovered earlier this year, when police arrested four men accused of "preparing explosive attacks and other acts of violence" as well as plotting to kidnap the health minister.
Investigators have now arrested a fifth suspect, named as Elisabeth R, who is thought to have been in charge of planning the operation, prosecutors said, reports AFP.
Earlier in January, at the latest, she is accused of joining an extremist group that rejected Germany's democratic institutions and strongly opposed the government's anti-virus measures.
A central goal of the group was "triggering civil war-like conditions in Germany and thus ultimately bringing about the overthrow of the federal government and parliamentary democracy", prosecutors said on Thursday.
The group allegedly intended to achieve this by destroying power facilities to cause a nationwide blackout.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
