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The defendant sent an apology through his lawyer
Photo: Bernd Weißbrod / dpa
In the trial for the throwing of a hand grenade at a mourning congregation in Altbach near Esslingen, the defendant had his lawyer admit the crime. The accusation is accurate, said Stefan Holoch, the 23-year-old's defense attorney. In addition, the man sent an apology through his lawyer: "He wants to apologize through me to all those who have been harmed," Holoch said.
The public prosecutor's office accuses the 23-year-old in its indictment, among other things, of attempted murder. He is said to have thrown a hand grenade at a mourning congregation in Altbach near Esslingen on June 9. According to the public prosecutor's office, at least 15 people were injured, some seriously.
Feud between two rival factions
"He deliberately took advantage of the fact that the mourners' thoughts were with the deceased," the prosecutor said. It was only by a lucky coincidence that the grenade bounced off a branch and therefore landed 30 meters away from the mourning congregation and exploded.
According to the investigators, the background to the crime is a feud between two rival groups in the Stuttgart area, which has been raging for many months. The defendant belonged to a Kurdish group, the prosecutor said. "He suspected that the funeral was attended by numerous relatives or sympathizers of the rival group."
For security reasons, the trial will take place in the strictly secured courtroom of the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart-Stammheim. So far, eleven days of hearings have been scheduled. A verdict is not expected before mid-March.
has/dpa