Schumacher blackmail: suspect released on bail

Crime - Schumacher blackmail: suspect released on bail

One of the three suspects involved in the attempted extortion of the family of former Formula-1 World Champion Michael Schumacher has been released on bail. According to Senior Public Prosecutor Wolf-Tilman Baumert, the 30-year-old man was released from custody upon payment of a bail of 10,000 Euro. He also had to surrender his pass. "We are only accusing him of being an accessory, he is likely not the instigator of the crime," Baumert told the German Press Agency.

Previously, the "Bild" newspaper had reported on the release.

Last week, the Wuppertal Public Prosecutor's Office informed the public that the police had arrested a suspected accomplice of the extortion attempt. This is a 52-year-old man who had worked as a security service provider for the Schumacher family. The man was arrested on Thursday in Wülfrath near Wuppertal as the new prime suspect.

Father and son arrested in Hesse

Previously, investigators had arrested two suspected extortionists of the family. They had demanded 15 million Euro - otherwise, they would publish the data in the Darknet. As evidence, they had sent some files to the family.

The two men in question are a 53-year-old man with 19 prior convictions and his 30-year-old son. Both were arrested on June 19 on a supermarket car park in the Hessian Groß-Gerau. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the younger man is now allowed to leave the investigative detention.

1. People in Germany and Switzerland have shown interest in the ongoing case involving the public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia and the attempted extortion of the family of Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher.
2. The release of one of the suspected accomplices in the case, who had to pay a security deposit of 10,000 Euro and surrender his passport, was reported by the German Press Agency.
3. In a recent development, investigators in Hesse arrested two men, a 53-year-old and his 30-year-old son, who are suspected of extorting 15 million Euro from the Schumacher family and threatening to publish their data in the Darknet.
4. The younger man, who has 19 prior convictions, was initially detained but was recently granted permission to leave investigative detention, according to the public prosecutor's office in Hesse.
5. The senior public prosecutor, Wolf-Tilman Baumert, has stated that the 30-year-old man released on bail is only being accused of being an accessory to the crime and is unlikely to be the instigator.
6. The Formula 1 racing community, including fellow racers and fans, has expressed concern and support for the Schumacher family during this difficult time.
7. Prior to the latest arrests, a 52-year-old man, who had worked as a security service provider for the Schumacher family, was arrested as the new prime suspect in the case by the Wuppertal Public Prosecutor's Office.
8. The Hesse public prosecutor's office is continuing its investigation into the case and is working closely with the public prosecutor's office in North Rhine-Westphalia to bring those responsible for the attempted extortion to justice.

Read also:

• Shift in appetite for dairy: From cultural norms to moral conversations
• State approaches to addressing domestic violence and femicide
• A look at the European Union's impact on poverty and the environment through statistics
• Heavy drinking can endanger the well-being of spouses, offspring, and coworkers.