Murder ads on the dark web: Austrian police crack case of assassin for hire on the dark web

A millionaire from Lower Austria with an exceptionally high IQ of 142 has been searching the dark web for a professional hitman to murder his ex-girlfriend. He found a contract killer under the alias "Sunnboy" on a darknet site called the "Online Killer Market" - a site he recently visited to find out more about his ex-girlfriend. The Vienna Metropole District Court found the case authentic on Friday.

This successful entrepreneur not only boasts an extremely high IQ, a level achieved by only 0.1% of the world's population, but he also worked for more than 20 years at the German police department.

Reportedly, this 53-year-old man accessed the dark web website "Online Killer Market" daily through his villa's computer. Between the end of February and early April in 2023, he posted advertisements on the dark web site in an attempt to frame the murder of his ex-girlfriend as a traffic accident. To make it easier for the hitman he was looking for, the man allegedly provided extensive information about his ex-girlfriend, including her photo, personal details and habits, her exact home address, and personal information about her family.

According to the indictment, the advertisement served its purpose. It is said that someone contacted the defendant who wanted to carry out a contract killing. Negotiations on the amount of compensation for the murder followed shortly after. Eventually, an agreement was reached for $9,000, and the man transferred this amount in the form of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin to the hitman's virtual wallet at the end of April 2003.

The man was arrested by the police on April 30. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the contract killing was supposed to take place on May 1. Since then, the defendant has been in detention, and he denies these charges. Recently, he is going to stand trial at the Vienna court in the new city area for attempted murder. If found guilty, he could face 10 to 20 years in prison or even life imprisonment.

In early March, MI5 in the UK discovered this information, and the Manchester branch of INTERPOL informed the Austrian authorities about a potential contract killing on the dark web.

Soon after, around 130 investigators from various departments, including the Federal Criminal Police Office in Austria, the State Criminal Police Office, the Lower Austrian Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Fight Against Terrorism, the Special Task Force Bureau (DSE), and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) from the UK, joined the operation.

According to the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, extensive investigative and surveillance measures were taken during the operation, especially regarding secret investigations on the dark web.