Two prominent suspects were arrested in Germany on charges of belonging to an Eritrean terrorist organization

Following violent and organized riots that left many injured, two of the most prominent suspects of belonging to an Eritrean anti-government organization were arrested in Germany.

The Federal Public Prosecutor accuses the two men of belonging to the "N'hamido Brigade", classified as a terrorist organization in Eritrea. According to the public prosecution, the German branch of the Eritrean movement of the same name is responsible for riots that occurred in several cities and states.

According to what the Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced today, Tuesday (September 15, 2026), the two suspects were arrested on Tuesday in the cities of Stuttgart and Saarbrücken. They are believed to be the Secretary-General and head of the German branch of the "N'hamido Brigade." According to the German authorities, both of them played an “important” role in building the group’s structures in Germany and in organizing acts of violence, and one of them participated “personally and effectively” in the riots in the German city of Gießen.

What do we know about the "N'hamido Brigade"?

According to investigators, the "N'hamido Brigade" is an organization with an international network that aims to overthrow the Eritrean government. Therefore, among other things, it organized acts of violence against events held by supporters of the Eritrean government abroad. These attacks occurred in Gießen in the state of Hesse in 2022 and 2023, as well as in Stuttgart, the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg, in 2023.

In the riots, members of the terrorist organization used projectiles and sharp tools “deliberately” to hit people in the head. According to investigators, a number of police officers and some participants in the events were injured, some seriously. Previous reports from the authorities indicated that 39 officers were injured in Stuttgart alone, and about 230 people were arrested.

Pro-government Eritrean festivals in other countries, such as the Netherlands and Sweden, have witnessed similar riots.

It is noteworthy that Eritrea, a country located in the Horn of Africa, is a little more than 3 decades old. It separated from Ethiopia in 1993 after a decades-long war, and gained its independence. It has been ruled autocratically by President Isaias Afwerki since independence. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, and the human rights situation there is very poor.

Edited by: A.J.M