Ex-security guard arrested in Schumacher blackmail case

German police have arrested a security guard who used to work for the family of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher in connection with a blackmail plot, prosecutors said Friday.

The 52-year-old is suspected of acting as an accomplice to a father and son duo who were detained last month after allegedly demanding millions of euros from the Schumachers in exchange for not sharing private family photos.

The ex-employee was arrested in the town of Wuelfrath in western Germany on Thursday, Wuppertal prosecutors said in a statement.

“The suspect is alleged to have previously worked as a security guard for the Schumacher family and was tasked, among other things, with digitising private photos,” they said.

Officers also seized evidence from the suspect’s home, including hard drives, USB sticks and mobile phones.

The latest suspect was identified by one of the other two accused, who claimed the ex-bodyguard was promised a commission for passing on “the data used for the extortion”.

Schumacher, a seven-time Formula One world champion, has not been seen in public since he suffered a serious brain injury in a 2013 skiing accident in the French Alps.

Investigators in Germany were tipped off about the blackmail attempt by authorities in Switzerland, where Schumacher has been cared for at his family home since the accident.

The father and son pair who were arrested on June 19 had contacted family representatives claiming to have access to files which the Schumachers “would not want to have published”, prosecutors said earlier this week.

“To stop the files being published online, the perpetrators demanded a payment in the millions,” they said.

The suspects allegedly transferred “individual files” to the family in a bid to show they were not bluffing. 

The investigation into the case continues, prosecutors said. If found guilty of the blackmail plot, the three men face up to five years in prison.