He was well informed, often one step ahead of the investigators. Now it is clear why: The conspiracy theorist Attila Hildmann (40) received information – from Efstathia M. * (32), ex-IT specialist at the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office. The mole in their own ranks was discovered during the investigation against the 40-year-old.
According to Berlin’s Justice Senator Dirk Behrendt (Greens), the public prosecutor’s office intensively investigated within its own ranks, “after the arrest warrant for Attila Hildmann was allegedly punctured”.
According to information from the ARD political magazine “Kontraste” and the research format “STRG_F” produced by the North German Broadcasting Corporation, the Berliner had access to documents relating to the investigation against Hildmann, among other things.
Data carriers have been secured
The spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office, Martin Steltner, confirmed that a former employee from the agency’s IT department was being investigated on suspicion of breaching official secrecy and attempting to thwart punishment. The employee was dismissed without notice in May. In July, during searches at Efstathia M., data carriers were seized that were still being evaluated.
The public prosecutor’s office got on the trail of the employee when the 32-year-old was noticed at lateral thinker demonstrations and there was unauthorized access to the public prosecutor’s systems. “There were unjustified inquiries about various people from the right-wing extremist and the lateral thinker scene,” said Steltner to the ARD media.
“There has never been a comparable case”
In addition to passing on data, Efstathia M. is said to have visited Hildmann, who was wanted in Germany, in Turkey at the beginning of the year. This is what Hildmann’s former companion Kai Enderes said in an interview with “Contrasts” and “STRG_F”. According to Enderes, the judicial employee is also said to have passed the arrest warrant on to Hildmann.
“As far as I can remember, there has never been a comparable case in the Berlin judiciary,” wrote Behrendt on Twitter. The judiciary now wants to draw conclusions from the data scandal.
Hildmann went into hiding
In addition to the criminal consequences for the former employee, the attorney general had already developed measures to make access to the procedures in the authority more difficult and better logged, explained the Justice Senator. “Such a process must not be repeated.”
Criminal proceedings have been ongoing against Hildmann since last year for numerous offenses, including sedition and resistance to law enforcement officers. Hildmann, who has German and Turkish citizenship, is said to be currently in Turkey. Turkey does not extradite Turkish nationals. (AFP / jmh)
* Name known to the editor