Criminal pursuits in Mallorca
In 2019 authorities pursued a 28-year-old German man, Michael Leopold Stiegler, who faced German warrants for manufacturing and placing a homemade bomb in Burglengenfeld. The device combined gunpowder and a glass bottle of mercury to mimic serious damage. The blast never happened after a neighbor discovered the setup by chance. Rumors pointed to a possible escape to Spain, shifting investigative focus toward Majorca from the start.
European arrest warrants were issued, and the Civil Guard tracked Stiegler to the island. He resided in a luxury chalet in the municipality of Calvià, in the town of Peguera, among a sizable German community. He moved discreetly, staying hidden inside the villa and employing multiple protective measures. Authorities waited outside, intercepting him during routine trips to discard trash. He was arrested and later extradited to Germany.
The operation, named Huestes, took place in March 2019. At the time, the Spanish Ministry of Interior described the detainee as a member of a terrorist organization. The Reichsbürger movement, a network of neo Nazi and monarchist sympathizers, rejects the legitimacy of the Federal Republic and resists civic duties, tax obligations, and official authority. The Reichsbürger label had surfaced in Spanish media in Mallorca but had not drawn broad attention until recent years, when global reporting highlighted as many as 25 members of the movement arrested for plans to stage a coup in Germany.
The Reichsbürger network is a diverse mix of far right adherents and individuals who long for the old German Empire. Some connect with groups such as the Government-in-Exile of the German Empire or the Free German Republic, denying the existence of the modern state and seeking to redraw postwar borders. Estimates place membership around 21,000, with a large majority of men.
One member is a former soldier with specialized military training, known as Prince Reuß or XIII. German authorities estimate that roughly 5 percent of Reichsbürger followers are prone to violent action. Like Stiegler, some members have attempted radical acts and fled to places favored by neo Nazi sympathizers.
Mallorca has long been viewed as strategically significant for extremist actors. During the period 1934 to 1945 the island served as a hub for operatives monitoring opponents of the Nazi regime, with documented activity by as many as 150 individuals. After World War II many fled to Spain and remained on the island. Today, neo Nazi networks recount a similar pattern, drawn by favorable climate, flight routes linking the Balearics to Germany, and a sizeable German resident population, making Mallorca appear a plausible hideout for extremists.
ultra cyclists
The island has proven attractive for concealment and expansion, including for a violent German biker group known as the United Tribuns. These neo Nazi ultras built branches in several countries, with Mallorca hosting a division established in January 2020. Leadership members faced a 15 year prison sentence in July for drug trafficking. The gang arrived on the island in 2018, filling a power void left by other criminal groups and moving into drug distribution across multiple venues. Investigators found control of several hostess clubs used as funding stems. Police noted the group’s reach extended to other parts of Spain, with plans to widen operations toward Valencia. Mallorca remained the starting point for these expansion efforts.
Convictions linked to the United Tribuns include a Palma court ruling last July that sentenced key members to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking. Prosecutors showed the gang sold ketamine, amphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana across Mallorca. Investigations also uncovered a drug laboratory and a warehouse in Palma; security vests bearing police insignia were found among their offices, used to project authority and legitimacy.
hammer skin
Majorca has drawn attention from Hammerskins, a violent neo Nazi group with roots in the United States and a strong footprint in Europe. In 2017 a faction disrupted a concert by a German singer, displaying royal banners instead of standard swastikas and shouting xenophobic slogans. Security personnel and attendees pushed back, and the event paused while organizers responded. The incident underscored the persistent aim among some neo Nazi factions to spread their message in public venues on the island, despite local opposition.
Hammerskins, though born in the United States, maintain a notable presence in Europe, with significant activity in Germany and pockets in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Hungary, France, Sweden, and Portugal. Mallorca hosts a notable segment of members, though the organization remains illegal in Spain. Individuals repeatedly named in investigations include Denis Kiebitz from Braunschweig, identifiable by a shoulder tattoo, and Wolfgang Erwin Benkesser from Hamburg. Both are noted for martial arts training and are frequently seen in local social circles as investigations continue.
innkeeper
Beyond violence, neo Nazis have viewed Mallorca as a retreat away from extremist currents elsewhere. This was evident with Holger Apfel, a former ultra German politician who led the National Democratic Party of Germany in 2011. He stepped down in 2013 and moved to Spain with his wife and four children, citing health concerns. A party member later alleged under oath that the move followed accusations of sexual abuse involving another member, though Apfel has disputed the claim. In Mallorca, he opened a restaurant bearing his name but later faced difficulties and eventually handed operations to others. The restaurant is now run by a different party. Apfel’s case shows how the island has attracted figures looking for quiet retreats while political activity continues elsewhere, including individuals connected to recent plots against Germany.