International arrest warrant What's behind the arrest of Brian Keller in Germany

Brian Keller was arrested in Germany on Saturday on suspicion of attempted incitement to grievous bodily harm, among other things. The 28-year-old is accused of making new statements on social media.

Keystone-SDA

12.08.2024, 09:57

12.08.2024, 10:02

SDA

Brian Keller, who became known in an SRF documentary under the pseudonym "Carlos", was arrested in Germany on Saturday evening by order of the Federal Office of Justice.

The Zurich public prosecutor's office had submitted a so-called arrest request, whereupon an international arrest warrant was issued, as the Zurich public prosecutor's office informed the Keystone-SDA news agency on Monday.

The public prosecutor's office had asked the 28-year-old to hand himself in voluntarily by last Tuesday, August 6. He had not complied with this request. The Zurich city and cantonal police had initiated extensive search measures.

Several accusations

Brian Keller had only been released from custody around three weeks ago on the condition of various alternative measures. Since January 2024, the public prosecutor's office has been conducting criminal proceedings on suspicion of public incitement to commit crimes or violence.

In May 2024, he was also charged with assault. The Zurich resident allegedly attacked a man known on the internet under the pseudonym "Skorp808".

According to the public prosecutor's office, the fact that Brian Keller has now been re-arrested is due to new comments made on social media. These had led to strong suspicion of attempted incitement to grievous bodily harm and threats.

The new allegations are being investigated as part of the ongoing criminal proceedings against the young man. As always, the presumption of innocence applies until a legally binding conclusion to the proceedings.