A German was arrested in Portugal who is said to have set up an armed group in the fight against the Corona measures.
Lisbon – A German was arrested in Portugal. Joachim T., who comes from Rhineland-Palatinate, was during the coronaPandemic probably radicalized and probably founded an armed group. He is currently in custody in Portugal for extradition. Reported about it tagesschau.de.
There had been an international arrest warrant against the 39-year-old and two other men since the summer. They are accused of having founded the armed group “Paladin” between February and May 2021. T. is said to have been their leader.
Specifically, the three are accused of “rejecting the state measures to combat the corona pandemic and seeing them as merely an excuse for the state to abolish fundamental rights.” Therefore, the men began “to arm themselves and to violently resist state measures a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office explained panorama and CTRL_F.
Arming out of fear: Joachim T. feared social collapse
In an interview with Panorama and STR_F T. said at the beginning of 2022 that he had observed social developments during the pandemic that frightened him. This gave rise to the idea of having to defend oneself. “That’s how I got into weapon building,” he explains. He feared the complete collapse of the basic order. “I was also afraid that the 2021 elections would no longer take place because a large part of humanity was lost in confusion.”
In the conversation, the 39-year-old admitted that he had attended meetings in the forest in a camouflage uniform. However, he denied the accusation of having founded an armed group. These meetings were “much more harmless” than authorities assumed.
The authorities are closely monitoring the scene. In 2021, a man killed a 20-year-old gas station employee in Idar-ObersteinRhineland-Palatinate because he asked him to wear a mask.
Corona radical sentenced to probation in 2022
T. had already attracted attention in 2021 because he had used 3D printers to produce a weapon and numerous parts for firearms. He later tried to sell the weapon and came across an undercover police officer. T. was sentenced to a suspended sentence. It was revealed in court that T. lost his job because he refused to wear a mask as a physical therapist.
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During the investigation into his possession of weapons, the police came across evidence that T. was not acting alone. According to the police, the man is said to have been looking for like-minded people on Telegram and Facebook. The messenger service Telegram continues to provide a platform for radical and extremist movements. (jus)
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