Extremist anti-vaxxers with crossbows plotted to assassinate a German governor who supported mandates, authorities say

• Extremist anti-vaxxers in Germany were arrested and accused of plotting to murder a governor, authorities said.
• Police raided homes of individuals who were reportedly in possession of crossbows and other weapons.

Extremist anti-vaxxers in Germany were arrested on Wednesday after plotting to assassinate a governor who supported vaccine mandates, according to local authorities.

Police raided a handful of homes in Dresden after catching wind of a plot to murder pro-vaccine governor of Saxony Michael Kretschmer and other officials, CNN reported.

The raids targeted individuals from a Telegram group who were reportedly discussing plans to assassinate Kretschmer with crossbows and other weapons, the report said.

German police said that parts of crossbows were found unassembled, the report said.

Kretschmer has been publicly supportive of vaccines and mandates. Since taking office on December 8, he's pushed for a national vaccine requirement and wants a law drafted in the near future, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, politicians and journalists have received packages of meat from anti-vaxxers, along with threatening letters that vowed a "bloody resistance" to vaccination, German news site Der Spiegel reported on Wednesday.

The letters claimed that the meat was infected with COVID-19 viruses and Zyklon B — a toxin used by the Nazis during the Holocaust — the report said.

On Friday, lawmakers in Germany approved a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, state-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.

Earlier in December, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor, Olaf Scholz, announced a lockdown for unvaccinated people.

The rule banned unvaccinated individuals from restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters, non-essential shops, and Christmas markets.

Germany is averaging around 35,000 COVID-19 new cases each day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.