German Prosecutors Detain Two Suspected Leaders of Eritrean Domestic Terror Group

Federal law enforcement authorities in Germany have taken two men into custody on serious allegations of membership in a domestic terrorist organization, following an extensive investigation into violent unrest that disrupted multiple Eritrean community gatherings across western Germany. The detentions mark a significant development in the efforts of German security agencies to address domestic criminal conduct and violent confrontations linked to foreign political disputes occurring on German territory.

The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office announced the detentions on Tuesday, confirming that the suspects consist of one German national and one Eritrean citizen. Both individuals are formally accused of participating in and directing the activities of an extremist group known as "Brigade N'Hamedu Germany," which prosecutors have categorized as a domestic terrorist organization under federal law.

Following their apprehension, the two suspects are scheduled to appear before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice located in Karlsruhe. The presiding judge is tasked with evaluating the evidence presented by the federal prosecutor, formally reviewing the arrest warrants, and deciding whether the men should be remanded into pre-trial detention while the criminal case and investigation continue.

According to official statements from federal prosecutors, the primary ideological goal of Brigade N'Hamedu Germany is the overthrow of the authoritarian government currently ruling Eritrea. While the group’s stated ambitions center on political change in the Horn of Africa, investigators emphasize that the network sought to pursue its objectives through organized violence and illegal actions carried out within German cities.

Prosecutors allege that the two detained men were instrumental in building up the operational structures of Brigade N'Hamedu Germany and in orchestrating its violent demonstrations. Specifically, the German national is accused of serving as the organization's initial chairman, while the Eritrean national reportedly acted as the group's secretary-general during a key period of its institutional development.

The criminal accusations against the organization stem from several major outbreaks of violence at public gatherings organized by alleged supporters of the Eritrean regime. In particular, the group is accused of orchestrating violent clashes during community festivals hosted in the western German city of Giessen during the summers of 2022 and 2023, both of which resulted in severe public unrest.

In addition to the unrest in Giessen, federal prosecutors hold the network responsible for violent disruptions at an informational seminar conducted by an Eritrean association in Stuttgart in September 2023. That incident demonstrated an expanding pattern of aggressive physical confrontations aimed at silencing gatherings associated with supporters of the Eritrean state across different German states.

A crucial element of the federal prosecution’s case is the group's explicit acceptance of violence against German state authority. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office emphasized that members of the organization considered violent attacks against German public institutions—including law enforcement officers deployed specifically to maintain peace and protect attendees at lawful community events—to be a legitimate method to advance their broader political campaign.

The targeted festivals in Giessen were organized under the leadership of the Central Council of Eritreans in Germany. That organization has frequently been criticized by anti-regime groups who accuse it of acting as an overseas propaganda arm for the Eritrean government, an allegation that representatives and event organizers of the Central Council have consistently and firmly denied.

The confrontations in German cities reflect deep-seated tensions connected to the political landscape in Eritrea, an East African nation of approximately four million people. The country has long been characterized by systematic state repression, widespread violence, and a complete denial of basic civil liberties and human rights to its citizens.

Independent monitoring organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly documented the severe abuses carried out under the authoritarian rule of President Isaias Afwerki. The Eritrean government maintains tight control over the population through indefinite compulsory military service, forced labor programs, and pervasive restrictions on religious freedom, open public expression, and independent journalism.

Human rights groups have also highlighted extensive evidence of grave abuses by state security forces, including extrajudicial killings, large-scale massacres, and sexual violence. Eritrea functions as a closed, one-party state in which no democratic elections are held, while the ruling government regularly dismisses all international findings and criticisms of human rights violations as politically motivated falsehoods.

Tuesday's arrests represent the culmination of an extensive cross-border investigation into the network’s operations. In March 2025, German law enforcement conducted coordinated searches across 19 separate properties nationwide, while parallel search warrants were simultaneously executed by police authorities in Denmark as part of the broader inquiry into the group.

That massive March 2025 enforcement action involved approximately 200 officers drawn from the Federal Criminal Police Office alongside multiple state-level police agencies. Although that initial search operation yielded evidence without resulting in immediate detentions, the continuing federal investigation has now resulted in formal arrests, bringing domestic terrorism charges against the two alleged leaders.