Off the wire
• Man killed by missile mistakenly launched by Taiwan military  • Roundup: Low uptake of space technology science slows Africa's growth: experts  • Chinese vice premier meets French president on bilateral ties  • Kumho Tire Ladies Open first round leading scores  • Yuan weakens against other currencies in June: Index  • Star trio share early lead in Weihai  • Somalia police nab 13 Al-Shabaab suspects in swoop  • Xinhua Insight: A bright future for China's silver generation  • Roundup: 10 killed, more than 30 feared buried in landslides in northern India  • 2nd LD Writethru: Over 30 killed in torrential rains in northern India  
You are here: 　 Home

German sentenced to 14 years for murder attempt on pro-refugee mayor candidate

Xinhua, July 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

A German man was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of the attempted murder of a pro-refugee mayor candidate in Cologne last year.

The 45-year-old man, identified as Frank S, stabbed Henriette Reker in her neck with a knife at a campaign event on Oct. 17, the day before Reker was elected the mayor of Cologne.

A court in Duesseldorf ruled on Friday that Frank S was guilty of attempted murder.

"He wanted to send a signal to the refugee policy of the federal government," said Judge Barbara Havliza explaining the verdict, "He wanted to create a climate of fear and to influence politics."

Frank S admitted that he stabbed Reker for her pro-refugee stance, but said he had no intention to kill her.

According to authorities, the defendant was active in right-wing circles in the 1990s. Prosecutors had called for a life prison sentence. Endit