Germany charges 'NSU 2.0' far-right threats suspect
October 28, 2021
A 53-year-old German man was charged with 67 counts of making threats and incitement to racial hatred on Thursday.
Investigators believe he is behind a series of 116 threatening letters, text messages, and e-mails sent to public figures and institutions between August 2018 and March 2021
The suspect signed the messages "NSU 2.0." This refers to the National Socialist Underground, a three-person right-wing terror cell that murdered ten people between 2000 and 2007.
His messages allegedly contained multiple references to Nazi ideology, including beginning with the greeting "Heil Hitler," and referring to himself as an SS officer. The letters were overwhelmingly directed at Germans of Turkish heritage, and his victims included lawmakers, artists, activists, and lawyers.
Some suspicion has also fallen on police in the central state of Hesse, as there are allegations that he got the phone numbers of some of his victims from officers. He is also alleged to have gotten the contact details of some of his victims in Berlin by calling a local newspaper and pretending to be a cop.
How was the suspect caught?
He was arrested on May 3, 2021, in his Berlin apartment. While searching his home and devices, police found evidence of child sexual abuse images. He is also being charged with possession of those materials, as well as impersonating an officer.
The suspect has a long history with the justice system, including previous charges of hate crimes and impersonating police. His first conviction came in 1992 for pretending to be a detective, and his last known charge came in 2014.
Investigators said they narrowed in on their suspect when they came upon posts on the extremist news site Politically Incorrect whose tenor and writing style matched the "NSU 2.0" messages.
es/rt (dpa, AFP)