Arrests made following Michael Schumacher blackmail attempt which nearly cost his family 'millions'

Once the greatest Formula 1 driver in history, Michael Schumacher's life took a drastic turn following a brutal skiing accident 11 years ago. Since then, his life has been kept almost entirely private with his family not revealing anything about his condition, all of that nearly unraveled following a vicious blackmail plot involving a former member of his security team.

Two men were initially arrested for attempting to blackmail the Schumachers, with a third conspirator also now in police custody following a raid on their home in Wulfrath, per Euro Weekly News.

Per a Wuppertal prosecutor’s office spokesman, the third man arrested was a member of a Schumacher's security team at one point and would have had inside access to the seven-time World Champions' private life.

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German newspaper Bild has reported that police have arrested two men from the city of Wuppertal after an extensive investigation into the alleged extortion, which extended through his family and circle of closest friends.

A spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office confirmed that arrests had been made, saying: "We are investigating a case of blackmail to the detriment of a celebrity and have executed arrest warrants in this case. We cannot provide any further information at this time," as reported by The Mirror. 

Michael Schumacher has not been seen publicly since his tragic skiing accident on the French Alps in 2013. The driver was said to have suffered a severe head injury and spent several months in hospital before being released into the care of his family. 

Per Euro Weekly News, the blackmail hinged on the Schumachers forking out a "millionaire" ransom to prevent private photos of the former Ferrari driver and his family from being posted on the Darknet.

Despite this, there remains a huge public interest in the condition of the seven-time F1 champion, and there have already been several attempts to advantage of the Schumacher family.

Famously, one blackmailer was jailed in 2017 after they threatened to kill Schumacher's son Mick (pictured) if the family refused to pay a €900,000€ ($965k, £762k) ransom. The man was promptly caught as he provided his actual bank account details to the family, as The Mirror reported at the time.

Earlier this year, the Schumacher family was awarded €200,000 ($214k, £170k) in compensation by a German court after winning a lawsuit against German magazine Die Aktuelle after it published a fake 'interview' with Michael Schumacher. 

The magazine misleadingly presented the interview on its front page as Schumacher's first since his accident.

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The fabricated quotes claimed that Schumacher could "stand by myself and even slowly walk a few steps," and mentioned that his family was "very sad" about his condition. Although the magazine did note within the article that the quotes were not real, the Schumacher family swiftly sought legal action.

Publisher Funke Mediengruppe issued an apology to the family, and editor-in-chief Ann Hoffman was dismissed. Despite these actions, the Munich labour court ruled in favor of the Schumacher family and ordered the magazine group to pay damages.

For those who wanted an official word on what life is like in the Schumacher house now, Corinna revealed in the documentary 'Schumacher' that "Michael is here – different but here."

"I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him. It's the children, the family, his father, and everyone around him. Everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here – different, but here," she said.

She continued: "We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can."

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