A major cyberattack on Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has exposed 421,179 emails and more than 50,000 attachments, offering an unprecedented look into the party’s internal operations, political alliances and alleged misconduct.
The material, stolen from AfD servers in late October and subsequently published online, is being examined by investigative journalists from major German media organisations. The leaked files range from routine administrative records to correspondence involving party leader Alice Weidel, contacts with Russia and lists containing the private addresses of hundreds of journalists.
An anonymous hacking collective claimed responsibility for the breach. One member, using the name “Ver”, told Die Zeit that the aim was to expose alleged corruption within the party and potentially provide grounds for proceedings to ban it. Such a move would require evidence that the AfD actively seeks to undermine Germany’s democratic order.
Although the full contents of the leak have yet to be examined, the documents point to a party that has become increasingly radicalised during its 13-year history. Five findings have emerged as particularly significant.
1. Evidence of the party’s shift to the far right
Emails from 2015 show Weidel criticising statements made by Björn Höcke, a prominent far-right AfD figure, as racist and fundamentally unacceptable. The relationship between the two has since changed, while former party leader Frauke Petry and other moderate members have left the organisation.
The leaked correspondence also sheds light on internal disciplinary proceedings involving controversial figures, including Matthias Helferich, who described himself as “the friendly face of National Socialism”, and former member of a violent neo-Nazi group Laurens Nothdurft.
Helferich was expelled before later being reinstated, while Nothdurft remained in the party.
2. Links with Trump allies and Russia
The emails reveal that AfD officials actively sought closer ties with Donald Trump’s political movement following his first election victory in 2016. Weidel also maintained contact with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
Other correspondence details trips to Russia and raises questions about the activities of Markus Frohnmaier, the party’s foreign policy spokesman in parliament. According to the leaked material, Frohnmaier transferred classified documents to his private email account. The files reportedly suggest that information may also have reached Russia and the former Assad government in Syria.
3. Questions over illegal campaign donations
The leak has also revived questions about a controversial donation case involving €132,000 transferred in 2017 through intermediaries from Swiss-based property investor Henning Conle.
German law prohibits political parties from accepting campaign donations from outside the European Union. The AfD was fined €400,000 over the case, while Weidel avoided personal liability after saying she had been unaware of the payment.
However, emails cited in the leaked material reportedly show that Weidel informed a financial officer at the relevant local party branch about the donation.
4. Attempts to monitor journalists
The correspondence suggests that the AfD leadership sought to have ZDF journalist and political satirist Fabian Köster followed by a private investigator after he obtained revealing comments from party figures while posing as a contributor to AfD-TV at an Austrian far-right party congress in 2019.
It remains unclear whether surveillance actually took place. The files also indicate that the party mishandled journalists’ press credentials and maintained lists of reporters barred from attending party events.
5. Neo-Nazi rhetoric within party ranks
Some of the leaked messages contain Nazi references and extremist language, including greetings such as “Sieg und Heil” and praise for Adolf Hitler. The material suggests that such attitudes were present among some party members, particularly at local level.
The correspondence also reveals a culture of hostility within the party, with lawmakers exchanging insults and criticising colleagues they considered insufficiently active.
The full significance of the leak remains uncertain. But the documents offer a rare insight into the AfD’s internal culture, its international contacts and the extent of its radicalisation, at a time when the party is polling as Germany’s strongest political force.
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