Million-dollar blackmail attempt directed towards the Schumacher family: two individuals taken into police custody.
A group of individuals aimed to coerce Michael Schumacher's family into forking over millions by threatening to release sensitive files that they claimed could compromise the family's privacy. As per a representative from the Wuppertal Prosecutor's Office, this information was unveiled on Monday. The blackmailers intended to disseminate the files on the Darknet.
In an attempt to secure the payment, the two culprits - aged 30 and 53 - supposedly transmitted some files to the family as evidence of their possession of the incriminating material.
The alleged blackmailers, said to be a father and son duo, were nabbed by the Hessian Police in a supermarket parking lot in Groß-Gerau on the previous Wednesday. Warrants for their arrest had been issued earlier by the Wuppertal District Court and they are currently detained for interrogation. The investigation continues.
Initially, the investigation was under the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor's Office in Kassel but was later handed over to Wuppertal investigators. Technical probes indicated that the blackmailers were operating out of Wuppertal. The initial complaint originated from the criminal investigation authorities in Switzerland.
Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Schumacher has been living in isolation since a skiing mishap at the end of 2013 that left him with severe head injuries. Due to privacy concerns, the family has refrained from commenting on his health status.
