According to prosecutors, the suspect had paid thousands of euros in a series of attempts to hire an assassin to murder a love rival.
ADVERTISEMENTGerman authorities have charged a man who tried to hire a fake contract killer online to murder a love rival.
The suspect had allegedly paid thousands of euros to repeatedly try and hire an assassin from a fraudulent darknet website.
The 28-year-old was identified and arrested in April. Berlin prosecutors said on Thursday that they had charged him with attempted incitement to murder.
The suspect had first tried to win the affections of another man, using “witch’s curses” booked online. According to prosecutors, he then decided in February to kill his love interest's partner.
He allegedly registered on the darknet to arrange a contract killing, providing the details, address and photos of the intended victim.
According to prosecutors, the suspect said that murder should look like an accident or a robbery and set an initial reward of $9,000 (€9,000) in bitcoin.
He was then reportedly told online to pay more for a replacement assassin after the first supposed killer had been arrested. He agreed, paying a total of $24,000 (€24,000) in bitcoin.
After complaining and trying to hire a third contract killer in April, the man was then told that he had been dealing with a fraudulent website and would not be refunded.
The website's administrator even told the suspect that he could pose as a contract killer and defraud other prospective customers, according to prosecutors.