Dortmund IT expert sentenced to three years for death-list platform
A 50-year-old man from Dortmund has been convicted of operating a dark web platform on which murders of politicians and scientists were solicited.
Dortmund IT expert sentenced to three years for death-list platform
A 50-year-old computer expert from the Ruhr region must serve three years in prison. The Higher Regional Court in the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia imposed the prison sentence for multiple offences in connection with a murder-solicitation platform circulated on the internet.
The convicted man had set up a website under the English name "Assassination Politics" in the hidden section of the internet. There he published fabricated court documents about individuals from politics and science and called for their deaths. Additionally, he provided step-by-step instructions for explosives and incendiary devices. Through digital currencies, he collected donations that were intended to flow to perpetrators upon completion of murders.
The named targets included leading German politicians such as the serving chancellor, the former head of government, and several ministers. Television presenters, doctors, and representatives of pharmaceutical companies were also listed. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office believes the defendant selected his victims based on their role during the pandemic.
The defence counsel requested an acquittal and claimed his client merely wanted to challenge the justice system. The judges found no credible explanation in this. They described the man as a firmly rooted right-wing extremist with existing criminal convictions.
Security authorities in Dortmund had already had the convicted man in their sights as a so-called "Reichsbürger". He participated in marches for deceased neo-Nazis and had previously come to notice for hate speech and obstruction of police officers.
Source: Bild
Source: BILD