Four people have been arrested over a suspected plot by anti-government extremists to kidnap the German health minister and cause a nationwide blackout.

Officers raided 20 properties across Germany on Wednesday and seized weapons, prosecutors said.

The suspects were members of a chat group called “United Patriots” on the Telegram messaging service, investigators said.

They were said to be associated with the protest movement against coronavirus curbs and the Reich Citizens movement, which disputes the legitimacy of the post-Second World War German constitution. Twelve people are under investigation.

The authorities said the group aimed to destroy electricity supply facilities and cause a blackout across the country, with the goal of producing “conditions similar to civil war” and ultimately overthrow the democratic system.

Police seized 22 firearms, including a Kalashnikov rifle, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, thousands of euros in cash and numerous gold bars and silver coins.

They also found forged vaccination certificates and COVID-19 tests.

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The group also allegedly planned to kidnap well-known public figures, including health minister Karl Lauterbach.

Mr Lauterbach said he was “appalled” by the news, adding: “The whole thing shows that corona protests have not just become more radical, but that it is now about more than corona – that there is an attempt here to destabilise the state.

“This is a small minority in our society, but highly dangerous.”

The suspects, all Germans, have been accused of preparing a serious act of violence and of violating weapons laws. A fifth suspect is still at large.

“We are dealing with a mixture consisting of conspiracy theorists, opponents of vaccination but also Reich Citizens that we hadn’t seen in this form so far,” Johannes Kunz, the head of Rhineland-Palatinate state’s criminal police office, said.

He said members of the group repeatedly expressed their disdain for the German state and said they wished Russian President Vladimir Putin had not just attacked Ukraine but also invaded Germany, news agency dpa reported.

The group’s procurement of weapons and money made clear to investigators that “we are dealing not just with cranks, but with dangerous criminals who want to implement their plans”, prosecutor Juergen Brauer said.

Nancy Faeser, the interior minister, said the investigation pointed to “a serious terrorist threat” and that the plan to kidnap Mr Lauterbach and fantasies about overthrowing democracy constitute “a new quality of threat.”

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