Russian connection suspected in attacks preceding German political events, investigation finds

ZDF's investigation, titled "Espionage, Sabotage, Fake News – Putin's War Against Us," suggests that Russia may be linked to high-profile attacks in Germany that occurred close to key political events. 

The investigation highlights several incidents: On February 13, 2025, a car drove into a crowd of protesters in Munich, killing a 37-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter. Earlier, on January 22, 2025, in Aschaffenburg, a man attacked a daycare group with a knife, killing a 41-year-old man and injuring a two-year-old child. Both incidents took place shortly before the February 23 Bundestag elections. Additionally, in May 2024, just a month before the European Parliament elections, an attack on an anti-Islam rally in Mannheim left a police officer dead and critic of Islam, Michael Stürzenberger, wounded.

In all three cases, the attackers were migrants, prompting the far-right party Alternative for Germany to stoke anti-immigration rhetoric. Investigations considered various motives, from Islamist extremism to the psychological issues of the suspects.

However, ZDF introduced a new angle to the investigation. Working with internet researcher Steven Broshart, the broadcaster discovered "suspicious search queries from Russia" ahead of the attacks. For example, four days before the Mannheim attack, Russian search queries included terms like "terrorist attack in Mannheim," "attack in Germany," "attack on Michael Stürzenberger," and "Michael Stürzenberger stabbed."

"Basically, we find Russian search queries about the attacker, including the name of the assailant, before the crime occurred, which is highly unusual," said Steven Broshart.

While these findings are not direct evidence of Russian involvement in the crimes, they provide new grounds for further investigation.

• The UK recently discovered spy sensors in the waters around Britain, likely installed by Russia to monitor the UK's nuclear submarines.