BERLIN, Germany — German police have arrested a man accused of using the darknet to incite the assassination of senior politicians, including former chancellors Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz, in a case that authorities say exposes growing extremist threats in the country.
The suspect, identified only as Martin S., a 49-year-old German-Polish national, was detained late Monday in Dortmund following a joint operation by federal and regional security agencies.
Prosecutors said the man had issued repeated online calls since June 2025 for the killing of public figures and government officials, alongside instructions for making explosive devices.
According to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, Martin S. also solicited cryptocurrency donations to fund “bounties” for the planned assassinations. He allegedly posted what prosecutors described as “death sentences pronounced by himself,” along with sensitive personal data of several potential victims.
A judicial source told AFP that Martin S. appeared to have acted alone and was linked to Germany’s far-right conspiracy movement known as “Reichsbuerger” (Citizens of the Reich), which rejects the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Both Merkel and Scholz were reportedly among 20 people targeted in his hit list, which included judges, prosecutors, and other public officials.
Prosecutors confirmed that the suspect has been placed in pre-trial detention after appearing before a judge on Tuesday. He is being investigated on multiple charges, including financing terrorism, inciting violence aimed at endangering the state, and threatening public officials.
According to Spiegel Online, Martin S. operated a site on the darknet titled “Assassination Politics,” which was filled with extremist and anti-government content, including conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for a violent overthrow of the government.
The arrest adds to growing concern within Germany’s security establishment over the resurgence of right-wing extremism and domestic terror plots.
In recent years, authorities have intensified surveillance of the Reichsbuerger network, which has evolved from fringe activism into what intelligence officials describe as a “serious security threat.”
In December 2022, German police foiled an alleged coup attempt linked to the same movement. The plot involved an ex-MP, former soldiers, and a minor aristocrat, Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss, whom the group planned to install as head of state after storming the Bundestag.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has repeatedly warned that right-wing extremism remains the “biggest danger to German democracy,” urging continued vigilance and collaboration between federal and state authorities.
The case against Martin S. underscores the challenge of tracking radicalized individuals who use encrypted online spaces to coordinate or inspire violence. Investigators say further arrests could follow as forensic analysis of the suspect’s digital trail continues.
