Menden in Sauerland | Court: Search of young SPD member was illegal

A remarkable incident: In early April, the Kruschinski family's apartment in Menden, Sauerland, was searched by five police officers in full uniform. The search was directed at the local Young Socialists' Union (Juso) chairwoman, Nela Kruschinski . The then 17-year-old's laptop, cell phone, and notebooks were confiscated by the police. The officers stated that the young woman was suspected of having spray-painted slogans such as "Merz in the mouth" on the building the day before a campaign appearance by then-CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz at the local shooting range.

Now the Arnsberg Regional Court has ruled the raid unlawful. Kruschinski's lawyer, Thomas Kutschaty, SPD state parliament member and former Justice Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, filed a complaint against the search warrant issued by the Arnsberg District Court. The court ruled that the justification for the raid was too flimsy. A witness had seen two young people near the hall at the alleged time of the crime, but was unable to identify anyone. In addition, an anonymous note was received by the local police demanding that the Juso leader and one of her acquaintances be "targeted," WDR reported.

The procedure for issuing the search warrant also raises questions. According to WDR, the Hagen police "suggested" the search of the court and mentioned that the public prosecutor's office would support this. However, no request from the public prosecutor's office was submitted. The judge who signed the search warrant later admitted that he had had no contact with the public prosecutor's office. What makes the process even more piquant is that Charlotte Merz, the Chancellor's wife, is the director of the district court. When asked by the WDR magazine Westpol, she assured them that she had no influence on the case and had no knowledge of the search warrant.

Another striking feature of the case is the activities of detective Wolfgang Exler, who serves on the Menden city council for the CDU and is a board member of the local shooting club. According to WDR, he interviewed the aforementioned witness and signed an investigative report. However, the Hagen police stated that Exler was never tasked with investigating the case. Exler also posed in front of the graffiti with other CDU politicians, making it a topic of discussion in his election campaign.