Cynthia Ezegwu
German police have arrested a man accused of making online calls on the darknet to assassinate top politicians, including former Chancellor Angela Merkel and current Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Judicial sources confirmed on Tuesday that the suspect, identified only as Martin S., a 49-year-old German-Polish national, was detained late Monday in the western city of Dortmund.
According to prosecutors, the suspect had since June allegedly issued anonymous online calls for attacks on public figures and government officials, while also posting instructions for making explosive devices and soliciting cryptocurrency donations as “bounties” for the killings.
Investigators said he published “death sentences pronounced by himself” alongside sensitive personal data of potential victims.
A source close to the investigation told AFP that the suspect acted alone and was linked to a right-wing conspiracy movement. Merkel and Scholz were among roughly 20 names listed as targets on a darknet platform he operated under the title “Assassination Politics.”
The site reportedly contained far-right content and conspiracy theories, including false claims related to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Martin S. is under investigation for offences including financing terrorism and inciting violence aimed at endangering the state. He was brought before a judge on Tuesday and placed in pre-trial detention.
German authorities have recently intensified crackdowns on extremist groups, particularly members of the “Citizens of the Reich” (Reichsbuerger) movement, which rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state.
In 2022, members of the group, including a former lawmaker and ex-soldiers, were arrested over an alleged plot to storm parliament, overthrow the government, and install aristocrat Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss as head of state.