Trending 
A German court has sentenced a 50-year-old man to three years in prison for publishing online “death sentences” and calling for the killing of politicians, including former German Chancellors Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz.
The ruling was delivered on Friday in the western city of Düsseldorf.
The man, identified only as Martin S., admitted during the trial that he operated an anonymous darknet platform known as “Assassination Politics.”
According to the court, he used the platform to encourage attacks on public figures and published lists of individuals he accused of crimes such as “high treason,” alongside what he described as death sentences.
The court convicted him of several offences, including terrorist financing, providing instructions on carrying out terrorist acts, and sharing information on how to build explosive devices such as Molotov cocktails.
Court officials told AFP that Martin S. holds far-right views.
Furthermore, a source close to the initial investigation disclosed to AFP that while Martin S. acted alone, he had links to a broader right-wing conspiracy theorist movement.
Prosecutors also said he sought cryptocurrency donations that were intended to serve as rewards for carrying out the killings. However, the court noted that no such donations were ever received.
Authorities further found that the platform contained sensitive personal information about some of the potential victims.
Prosecutors had requested a five-year prison sentence, while the defence argued for his acquittal.
The verdict is not yet final and can still be appealed.
Germany has stepped up efforts against far-right and conspiracy-linked groups in recent years. In 2022, authorities arrested members of a network accused of plotting to attack parliament, overthrow the government and install businessman Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss as head of state.
