Europe 1 with AFP 6:47 p.m., November 01, 2021

A 32-year-old member of the Berlin prosecutor's office is suspected of having passed on information to a follower of conspiracy theories, opposed to health measures and on the run for several months. The suspect, fired in May from the Berlin prosecutor's office, would belong to the anti-mask movement known as "free thinkers", which is leading the charge against anti-Covid devices in Germany.

A member of the Berlin prosecutor's office is suspected of having transmitted information to a follower of conspiracy theories, opposed to health measures and on the run for several months, city authorities said on Monday.

"To my knowledge, there has never been a comparable case in the Berlin judicial system," lamented Dirk Berendt, senator in charge of justice in Berlin, on Twitter, confirming information from the Berlin press.

The anti-mask movement known as "free thinkers"

The suspect is a 32-year-old former employee of the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office. She is suspected of having passed on information to Attila Hildmann, a German-Turkish chef. First famous for his books and videos on vegan cooking, he is best known for being now a fervent opponent of sanitary measures and being accused of anti-Semitism and proximity to the far right.

The suspect, fired in May from the Berlin prosecutor's office, would belong to the anti-mask movement known as "free thinkers", which is leading the charge against anti-Covid devices in Germany, struck in recent days by a resumption of the epidemic.

She reportedly informed Attila Hildmann that he was the subject of an arrest warrant, which would have allowed the cook to leave Germany just before being arrested.

An investigation for "breach of professional secrecy"

The suspect, who herself took part in demonstrations against the health policy of the Merkel government, would also have consulted documents from the prosecution concerning the conspiracy movement and far-right activists. The former member of the prosecution, left free, is now under investigation for "violation of professional secrecy" and "obstructing a judicial investigation", told AFP a spokesman for the prosecution.

Attila Hildmann, targeted by several investigations in Germany, left the country for several months and is believed to be in Turkey.

This discovery prompted the Berlin prosecutor's office to tighten access to its most confidential documents.

The case constitutes a new snub for the judicial authorities of the German capital.

The Berlin police had been criticized for their failing surveillance of the author of the worst jihadist attack committed in Germany, the ram truck against a Christmas market in the city in December 2016 (12 dead and dozens injured).

The Tunisian Ani Amri, also deceased, had been before that in the crosshairs of the Berlin police.