Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is investigating the online publication of emails allegedly stolen during a cyberattack on a service provider used by the party.
The incident came to light on Tuesday, October 20, after reports that hundreds of thousands of emails linked to the party had been made available online. The AfD confirmed that hackers had accessed data from a limited number of email accounts, although it has not disclosed the full extent of the information taken.
According to reports by German newspaper Bild, approximately 420,000 to 421,000 emails were involved. The reported material also included sensitive documents, raising concerns about the privacy of party members and the security of political organisations’ digital systems.
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AfD Says Hackers Targeted Email Service Provider
The AfD said the attack occurred in September 2026 and targeted a hosting service provider used by the party.
A party spokesperson said data had apparently been copied unlawfully from a small number of email accounts, most of which had not been used for years.
The party said the attack was detected and stopped, and that affected users were informed. It also said the current email accounts of the AfD’s federal organisation were not affected, according to German media reports.
The party is now examining the online publication of what it believes may be part of the stolen data. It has said a preliminary assessment will only be possible after the investigation is completed.
The full volume of information taken during the attack remains unclear.
Reports Cite Emails and Sensitive Documents
The Bild report said the leaked material included correspondence involving prominent AfD figures, including co-leader Alice Weidel and former party leader Alexander Gauland.
Other documents reportedly included bank statements, academic certificates, identity document images, membership applications and lists associated with some local party branches.
However, the precise authenticity and completeness of the material have not been independently established. German broadcaster Tagesschau reported that the anonymous website did not provide the original email messages publicly, instead displaying an overview or summaries of the alleged correspondence.
Questions have also been raised about whether summaries of the material accurately represented the context of the original messages. The AfD criticised what it described as the use of artificial intelligence to analyse documents through keywords rather than their full context.
The website hosting the material was reportedly offline by Tuesday afternoon. It remains unclear who was responsible for the cyberattack or the subsequent publication.
Data Leak Comes Amid Political Pressure on AfD
The incident comes as the AfD faces increased political scrutiny in Germany.
The party has made significant gains in recent state elections and has performed strongly in national opinion polls, placing pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and other established political parties.
Some politicians and civil society groups have called for action to ban the AfD, arguing that it threatens Germany’s democratic constitutional order. The party rejects such accusations and describes them as politically motivated.
The email leak could create additional concerns for the organisation, particularly if personal information belonging to members or other individuals was exposed. However, the publication of alleged correspondence does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing by the people named in it.
Investigation Continues as Questions Remain
The AfD says it is reviewing the published material and is in contact with security authorities. The party has also reported the cyberattack and the publication of the data.
Investigators will need to establish how the hackers accessed the service provider, which accounts were affected, what information was taken and whether further copies of the data remain available elsewhere.
For now, the identity and motives of those responsible have not been confirmed. The full scope of the breach and the authenticity of the published material also remain unresolved.
The case highlights the cybersecurity and privacy risks facing political parties, particularly when email accounts contain personal records and sensitive internal correspondence.