Following the publication of death lists containing the names of politicians, special forces in Dortmund ( North Rhine-Westphalia ) arrested a German-Polish man. The man had anonymously called for attacks on public figures and officials on the darknet , the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe stated.
The suspect is now in custody. The investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe issued the arrest warrant and ordered its execution, as confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The accused is alleged to be active in the Reichsbürger scene.
The suspect, named Martin S., was arrested on Monday evening by officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office and special forces.
According to ZDF legal expert Sarah Tacke, investigators classify him as a right-wing extremist who is active in the Reichsbürger scene.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office accuses the man of financing terrorism, instigating the commission of a serious act of violence endangering the state, and the dangerous dissemination of personal data.
Death lists and bounties?
Martin S. is alleged to have anonymously operated a platform on which he published, among other things, lists of names and death sentences he himself had handed down.
In addition to the lists of names, he is also alleged to have published instructions for building explosive devices on the darknet. Furthermore, he is said to have solicited donations in the form of cryptocurrency, which were to be offered as bounties for the killings.
Merkel and Lauterbach also apparently on the death list
Legal expert Tacke emphasized that investigators stressed the investigation was still in a “preliminary stage.” “That means there was no imminent attack,” she added.
According to their information, the man’s list included, among others, former Chancellor Angela Merkel ( CDU ), former Chancellor Olaf Scholz , and former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (both SPD ). Prosecutors and judges were also reportedly on the list. According to a Spiegel report, investigators found not only “criminal files” and “death sentences” but also far-right, racist, and conspiracy-theory-laden content.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt ( CSU ) said in Berlin that the investigations in the case had been ongoing since June.
We assume that the suspicion of terrorist financing will be substantiated here.“
Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), Federal Minister of the Interior
Nothing is yet publicly known about possible accomplices of the man, who lives with his family in Dortmund.
