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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Ex-Nazi put on trial in Germany | Ex-Nazi put on trial in Germany |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A former member of the Nazi SS has gone on trial in Germany charged with the wartime murder of three civilians in the Netherlands. | A former member of the Nazi SS has gone on trial in Germany charged with the wartime murder of three civilians in the Netherlands. |
| Heinrich Boere, 88, has previously acknowledged shooting dead three people in 1944, as reprisals for attacks by the Dutch resistance. | Heinrich Boere, 88, has previously acknowledged shooting dead three people in 1944, as reprisals for attacks by the Dutch resistance. |
| The trial went ahead after an appeal court ruled he was fit to be tried. | The trial went ahead after an appeal court ruled he was fit to be tried. |
| However, the hearing was adjourned when the five-judge panel said it needed time to consider more legal argument. | However, the hearing was adjourned when the five-judge panel said it needed time to consider more legal argument. |
| The trial is due to resume on Monday, court officials said. | The trial is due to resume on Monday, court officials said. |
| Anti-Nazi protesters had gathered outside the court in Aachen as the trial opened. | Anti-Nazi protesters had gathered outside the court in Aachen as the trial opened. |
| Relatives of some of the victims were also in court. | Relatives of some of the victims were also in court. |
| Correspondents said Heinrich Boere entered the courtroom in a wheelchair with a doctor by his side, but appeared alert and attentive as he answered questions. The hearing was adjourned shortly afterwards. | Correspondents said Heinrich Boere entered the courtroom in a wheelchair with a doctor by his side, but appeared alert and attentive as he answered questions. The hearing was adjourned shortly afterwards. |
| The defendent is charged with killing three men: Fritz Bicknese, a chemist and father of 12; bicycle seller Teun de Groot, who helped Jews go into hiding; and resistance member Frans Kusters. | The defendent is charged with killing three men: Fritz Bicknese, a chemist and father of 12; bicycle seller Teun de Groot, who helped Jews go into hiding; and resistance member Frans Kusters. |
| He admitted the killings to Dutch authorities while in captivity after the war, but escaped before he could be brought to trial. He later fled to Germany. | He admitted the killings to Dutch authorities while in captivity after the war, but escaped before he could be brought to trial. He later fled to Germany. |
| 'Killing terrorists' | 'Killing terrorists' |
| He has also confessed to his role in interviews with the media. | He has also confessed to his role in interviews with the media. |
| "Yes, I got rid of them," he told Focus magazine. "It was not difficult. You just had to bend a finger." | "Yes, I got rid of them," he told Focus magazine. "It was not difficult. You just had to bend a finger." |
| He told Spiegel magazine that he and his accomplices thought they were killing "terrorists", adding: "We thought we were doing the right thing." | He told Spiegel magazine that he and his accomplices thought they were killing "terrorists", adding: "We thought we were doing the right thing." |
| Anti-Nazi protesters displayed banners outside the court | |
| A tribunal in Amsterdam sentenced him to death in absentia in 1949, a sentence later reduced to life in prison. | A tribunal in Amsterdam sentenced him to death in absentia in 1949, a sentence later reduced to life in prison. |
| A Dutch extradition request was turned down by Germany in the early 1980s. | A Dutch extradition request was turned down by Germany in the early 1980s. |
| He was eventually indicted in Germany last year, but a court in Aachen then said he was unfit to stand trial due to health problems. | He was eventually indicted in Germany last year, but a court in Aachen then said he was unfit to stand trial due to health problems. |
| That ruling was reversed in July by an appeals court in Cologne. | That ruling was reversed in July by an appeals court in Cologne. |
| Boere, who is of Dutch-German origin, was 18 when he joined the SS in 1940, shortly after the Germans overran his hometown of Maastricht. | Boere, who is of Dutch-German origin, was 18 when he joined the SS in 1940, shortly after the Germans overran his hometown of Maastricht. |
| After fighting on the Russian front, he went to Holland as part of an SS death squad codenamed Silbertanne (Silver Pine). | After fighting on the Russian front, he went to Holland as part of an SS death squad codenamed Silbertanne (Silver Pine). |
| His statements to Dutch authorities are expected to form the basis for the prosecution's case, the Associated Press news agency reports. | |
| Defence lawyers have declined to say how they will try to counter the confession. | Defence lawyers have declined to say how they will try to counter the confession. |
| But even if he is convicted there remains some doubt over whether he will actually go to jail. | But even if he is convicted there remains some doubt over whether he will actually go to jail. |
| A 90-year-old former German infantry commander, Josef Scheungraber, was given a life sentence by a German court in August, but remains free while his appeal is heard. | A 90-year-old former German infantry commander, Josef Scheungraber, was given a life sentence by a German court in August, but remains free while his appeal is heard. |