A German-Polish citizen has been arrested in Germany for planning attacks on German political figures, the German federal prosecutor's office announced today.
According to a source close to the investigation, the man allegedly targeted former chancellors Olaf Scholz and Angela Merkel.
The person, identified as Martin S, is believed to have belonged to the "Reichsbuerger" (Reich Citizens) network, the same sources added.
This conspiratorial movement, mostly extreme right-wing, denies the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany and has been implicated in several cases of assassination plots and coups.
Sources close to the case said the perpetrator appeared to be a "lone individual" whose main targets were "former chancellors Olaf Scholz and Angela Merkel."
Martin S. was arrested on Monday in Dortmund, in western Germany, and a judge remanded him in custody today, the prosecutor's office announced.
According to the same source, the person has been using the dark web since June 2025 to call for attacks on politicians, public officials, and prominent figures in German public life.
To this end, he published the names of potential targets, issued "death sentences," and distributed instructions for making explosive devices. He also solicited contributions in cryptocurrency to pay a "reward" in the event of an assassination attempt.
The prosecution did not specify whether he possessed weapons or explosives to carry out his threats.
In recent years, Germany has dismantled several conspiracy theory and far-right networks suspected of plotting against the country's institutions and leaders.
The most challenging case was the dismantling of a group accused of planning a coup and belonging to the "Reichsburger" network in December 2022.
Three separate trials began in the spring of 2024, including the trial of the group's leader, a German aristocrat known as Henry XIII, Prince Reuss, and former elite soldiers.
In May, the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz dissolved the "Kingdom of Germany" organization, a collective of "Reichsburgers" who lived outside the institutional framework and were labeled "dangerous extremists."
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