Anti-Vaxxers Plotted To Kill German Politician Over COVID-19 Restriction: Police

Authorities conducted raids on several locations in Saxony, Germany, this week after death threats were made against state Premier Michael Kretschmer online for his stance on COVID-19 measures.

Police searched five properties in Saxony's capital city of Dresden, while one more was searched in the nearby town of Heidenau, German public broadcaster DW reported. Five men and a woman, all of whom are German nationals aged between 32 and 64, were targeted in the investigation, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The group, described as far-right anti-vaccination activists, was suspected of plotting to murder Kretschmer, German police were cited as saying by Reuters.

"Crossbows, parts of weapons and weapons" were found during the raids, a spokesman for the State Criminal Police Office said.

The group's "murder plans" against the premier were discussed via the messaging app Telegram, police said.

"The members of the chat group, which links opponents of vaccination, the state, and the current anti-pandemic policy, stated plans of murdering the premier of Saxony and other representatives of the Saxony government, both in the group and in non-virtual meetings," police said in a statement.

The threats against Kretschmer were connected to potential COVID-19 restrictions such as the possibility of mandatory vaccinations. The politician initially called pandemic restrictions "hysteria" before backtracking and calling for a hard lockdown in Saxony to break the fourth wave of infections.

Saxony has the lowest vaccination rate among all German states, with around 58% of its population being fully immunized, according to publicly available data. But it also has one of the highest COVID-19 caseloads in Germany.

The plot to assassinate Kretschmer was revealed after journalists infiltrated a Telegram group called the "Dresden Offlinevernetzung," or "Dresden offline network," and learned that the members were suggesting armed violence against the premier and other members of the Saxony state government, police said.

The group's members, who numbered between 103 to 130 in reports, made statements about possessing "piercing weapons and crossbows" and "using armed force" against officials. Additionally, the group's leader allegedly used the chat to coach members in procuring weapons.

It was unclear if the people involved in Wednesday's raids were part of the group.

In response to the threats, Kretschmer said the state government will mobilize more people to fight extremism. He also called threats against officials, journalists and scientists unacceptable and said that "every effort" would be made to pursue any perpetrators.

"Of course, you can say what you don't like. But when violence comes into play, it's over. A line has been crossed which we will not tolerate," Kretschmer said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for his part, promised to take action against extremist groups like those behind the threats against Kretschmer.

"[Germany will] use all the means of its democratic rule of law to defend itself against this tiny minority of the hateful attacking the rest of us," Scholz said.

Germany has had more than 6.67 million COVID-19 cases and 107,000 deaths as of Wednesday, according to Berliner Morgenpost.