The allegation is illegal trafficking in weapons and drugs. The focus of the proceedings, however, is a dispute over the utilization of data from the Encrochat messenger service.
Berlin – Under strict security precautions, a trial for violating the War Weapons Act and drug trafficking began on Tuesday in front of the Berlin Regional Court.
The main defendant is a member of a well-known Arab clan who was arrested almost nine months ago in a raid against clan crime. The previously convicted 42-year-old has been in custody since then, as is a 23-year-old who was co-accused. Together with a 36-year-old, they are said to have acquired war weapons commercially and sold them to others.
The focus of the proceedings is a dispute over the use of data from the Encrochat messenger service. The defendants are said to have offered several weapons via this in April and May 2020. In this way they are said to have brought kilos of drugs into the illegal trade.
The encryption software Encrochat was initially considered not to be decryptable. Last year, however, the police in the Netherlands and France managed to siphon off millions of classified data. dpa
