Far-right letters trial halted in Germany over bomb threat

BERLIN: The German trial of a man accused of sending over 100 far-right letters to politicians, journalists and officials was delayed at its opening on Tuesday because of a bomb threat.

Shortly before the hearing opened, the court in Berlin halted the session because of a fax that claimed that explosives have been planted around the courtroom where the trial was to be held. The fax was signed off "Heil Hitler".

Andre M., 32, stands accused of sending 107 threatening letters to courts, authorities, police, shopping malls, journalists and lawmakers between October 2018 and April 2019. Many of the emails were signed with "National-Socialist Offensive", a reference to Hitler’s Nazi ideology.

Investigators had initially thought that the letters were sent by several far-right sympathisers. The threats had prompted evacuations, including of the main train station in Luebeck and a tax office in Gelsenkirchen.