(MENAFN) A 49-year-old German-Polish citizen was arrested on suspicion of running a darknet website that allegedly called for the killing of public figures, including senior politicians, according to reports.

The suspect, identified as Martin S., was detained Monday in Dortmund, where he lives with his family, and later placed in pre-trial detention. He reportedly faces charges such as financing terrorism and providing instructions for acts of violence endangering the state.

Authorities allege he operated an ‘Assassination Politics’ platform on the darknet, publishing personal details, “death sentences,” and hit lists naming over 20 potential victims, including former chancellors Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz, as well as judges and prosecutors.

Prosecutors said he had run the platform anonymously since at least June 2025, posting guidance on making explosives and soliciting cryptocurrency donations offered as bounties for killing targets.

The website reportedly also contained far-right extremist, racist, and conspiracy-driven content.

Media coverage indicated the suspect had connections with neo-Nazi circles, participated in far-right events, and may support the Reichsburger movement, a conspiracy-driven network that denies the legitimacy of Germany’s modern state.

Germany’s domestic intelligence estimates that about 25,000 people belong to the Reichsburger and affiliated groups, some of whom are considered potentially violent.

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