UPDATES WITH PUBLIC BROADCASTER ARD’S REPORT ON SUSPECT DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE, ADDS DETAILS, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Anadolu staff
BERLIN (AA) - German police arrested a far-right extremist on suspicion of running a darknet platform that called for attacks on politicians and offered cryptocurrency bounties for their killings, authorities said Tuesday.
Martin S., a dual German-Polish national, was detained Monday evening in the western city of Dortmund, the Federal Prosecutor's Office said. Public broadcaster ARD reported that he had ties to the far-right Reich Citizens movement, citing security sources.
According to prosecutors, the 49-year-old had been operating an anonymous darknet platform since at least June 2025 where he published lists of names, self-proclaimed death sentences against politicians and prominent public figures.
The platform also contained bomb-making instructions and sensitive personal data of potential victims, prosecutors said. Martin S. allegedly solicited cryptocurrency donations to be offered as "bounties" for killing the targeted individuals.
Federal prosecutors said there was strong suspicion that the suspect committed terrorism financing, provided instructions for committing serious acts of violence endangering the state, and engaged in dangerous distribution of personal data.
German authorities did not provide additional details about the specific politicians or officials targeted on the platform or the extent of cryptocurrency donations received.