Germany Arrests Eritrean Terror Group Leaders

Germany's federal prosecution authority has arrested two suspected senior members of an Eritrean terrorist organization operating on German soil. The suspects face charges of membership in a domestic terrorist association — the German branch of Brigade N'Hamedu. One man was apprehended near Saarbrücken and the other in Stuttgart; a federal judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe must now rule on the execution of their pre-trial detention.

Group Aimed to Overthrow Eritrean Government

According to the federal prosecutor's office, Brigade N'Hamedu is an internationally networked organization whose stated objective is to topple the government of Eritrea. In Germany, the group pursued this goal through violence at events organized by supporters of the Eritrean government. Members considered violence against German state institutions and law enforcement officers — including police deployed to protect such events — a legitimate means.

In March 2025, the federal prosecutor ordered searches of 19 properties across six German states — Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Rhineland-Palatinate — as well as one in Denmark. Around 200 officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office and state police forces participated in those searches, though no arrests were made at the time.

Background: Riots at Eritrea Festivals

The investigation stems from violent clashes at the margins of two Eritrea festivals held in Gießen in the summers of 2022 and 2023, and at an event organized by an Eritrean association in Stuttgart in September 2023. The Gießen festivals were organized by the Central Council of Eritreans in Germany, which is considered to be close to the Eritrean government. Critics accuse the organizers of promoting government propaganda, which they deny.

The two arrested men — one Eritrean national and one German national — are alleged to have played key roles in building the Brigade's structures in Germany and organizing its violent actions. The Eritrean suspect reportedly served at times as the organization's secretary-general, while the German national was its chairman.

Eritrea: A State of Systematic Repression

Eritrea, a country of approximately four million people on the Horn of Africa, is characterized by systematic repression under the authoritarian rule of President Isaias Afwerki. According to human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, the government subjects the population to forced labor, indefinite military conscription, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression, religion, and the press. There are also reports of mass killings, extrajudicial executions, and sexual violence by security forces.