A man on trial in Germany for the murder of pro-migrant Christian Democrat politician Walter Lübcke has told the court he fired the fatal shot.
Far-right sympathiser Stephan Ernst previously admitted to killing Lübcke, but later withdrew his admission.
Lübcke was shot in the head at close range in his garden in Istha last June.
If a political motive of far-right extremism is proven, it would be the first such killing of a politician in the country’s post-war history.
Lübcke, 65, was the head of the regional council in the German city of Kassel. He was known nationally for supporting Chancellor Angela Merkel’s call to take in refugees in 2015.
During a town hall meeting that year he called for audience members to stand up for Christian values.
“Whoever does not support these values can leave this country any time, if he doesn’t agree. This is the freedom of every German,” he said.
Ernst and co-defendant Markus H, who is accused of giving Ernst firearms training, allegedly attended that meeting.
According to prosecutors, it was after that meeting that Ernst “increasingly projected his hatred of foreigners on to Lübcke.”
On Wednesday, Ernst told the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main: “I fired the shot.”
He claimed he acted with Markus H. However prosecutors say they do not think Markus H was present at the scene of the crime.
Source: bbc.com
The post Walter Lübcke: Man on trial admits to killing German politician appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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