{"id":6117,"date":"2019-01-08T22:53:15","date_gmt":"2019-01-08T22:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/german-data-theft-suspect-confesses-in-hesse\/"},"modified":"2019-01-08T22:53:15","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T22:53:15","slug":"german-data-theft-suspect-confesses-in-hesse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/german-data-theft-suspect-confesses-in-hesse\/","title":{"rendered":"German data theft: Suspect confesses in Hesse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"AImage copyright<\/span>
\n EPA<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image caption<\/span>
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\n User @_0rbit tweeted new information every day in December
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A 20-year-old man has made a “comprehensive” confession that he was behind a data breach affecting hundreds of high-profile Germans, police say.<\/p>\n

Styling himself “G0d”, he published private information about politicians, journalists, and celebrities on Twitter, under the username @_0rbit.<\/p>\n

Investigators said the man was still in education and living with his parents. <\/p>\n

The suspect said he acted alone and out of annoyance at statements made by the public figures he attacked.<\/p>\n

About 1,000 people were affected, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.<\/p>\n

Politicians from every major political party except for the far-right AfD were targeted, although investigators said they had yet to find evidence of the suspect’s political inclinations.<\/p>\n

What do we know about the suspect?<\/h2>\n

Germany’s federal criminal police (BKA) said the information published online included telephone numbers, addresses, credit card data, photographs, and private communications.<\/p>\n

Investigators said the German citizen they arrested had co-operated and led them to evidence they may not have found without help. Police are also still investigating seized computer hardware.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the BKA said he was detained after a search of his home in the state of Hesse on Sunday. He is accused of spying and the unauthorised publication of data.<\/p>\n

His provisional arrest, however, was lifted on Monday evening. He was released “due to a lack of grounds for detention”, police said. They took into account both his age and his co-operation.<\/p>\n

The @_0rbit Twitter account has been suspended since coming to widespread attention late last week. Before then, it published the leaked information in an “advent calendar event” each day in December.<\/p>\n

Its biography had described itself as involved in “security research”.<\/p>\n

Who was targeted in the breach?<\/h2>\n

Of the almost 1,000 politicians, celebrities and journalists affected by the leak, some 50 attacks were “more serious”, involving private correspondence or photos, officials said.<\/p>\n

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Image copyright<\/span>
\n Getty\/Reuters<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image caption<\/span>
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\n Angela Merkel, Greens leader Robert Habeck and TV satirist Jan B\u00f6hmermann have all been targeted by the attack
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Among those affected were:<\/p>\n