BILD reported, in an article dated 20 October 2026 (09:20 German time), that a website had published that day what it says are 421,179 emails (281 GB) from Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, along with AI-generated summaries of selected messages attributed to party figures including co-leader Alice Weidel, honorary chairman Alexander Gauland and Leif-Erik Holm. In a limited look at the material, BILD saw a photo of the identity card of Markus Frohnmaier, deputy leader of the AfD group in the Bundestag, other identity documents, invoices, bank statements, certificates, and membership applications and member lists from AfD district branches in North Rhine-Westphalia.

An AfD spokesperson confirmed to BILD that in September 2026 a hosting provider used by the party was hacked and parts of a few mailboxes, most of them unused for years, appear to have been unlawfully copied.

The party says the attack was stopped quickly, all affected users were informed, current mailboxes of the federal party were not affected, and it is examining the published material.

According to B.Z., an internal AfD email to its state branches gives the same account. It is not yet confirmed whether the published files are genuine or whether they all come from the September intrusion. The hosting provider has not been named, and nobody has publicly claimed the attack or been identified. Wire: BILD (dated 20 Oct); B.Z. (20 Oct).

Correction (24 Oct 2026): an earlier version said the emails were published on 19 October and that BILD reported it that evening; BILD's article is dated 20 October 2026, 09:20, and says the material was published that day. (source: https://www.bild.de/politik/inland/afd-offenbar-421-179-mails-nach-hackerangriff-im-netz-6ad6642951e5094f7a57232d)