Thursday, 04 February 2010 20:53
Bielefeld, Germany - A German pensioner charged with the attempted murder of 81 Jehovahs Witnesses by storming into their community hall and trying to open fire with a machine gun has denied all the charges, a court heard on Tuesday.
The 83-year-old, who cannot be named, allegedly stormed into the meeting in the town of Bielefeld and attempted to fire a machine gun at the group in July 2009 - but the weapon malfunctioned and the man was wrestled to the ground.
A psychiatrist for the defendant told the court that the accused had merely wanted to point out that Islamists could be a danger to Jehovahs Witnesses.
The prosecution said he had tried to "maliciously shoot" as many as possible of the congregation.
The accused man has not yet addressed the court in person.
The psychiatrist said the pensioner told him that his dog had found the gun in the forest. He had cleaned it, tried it out and been impressed with the gun's firepower.
The accused told the psychiatrist that he planned to hand the gun in to the local authorities, but then decided to demonstrate how easily someone could target such a devoutly Christian group as the Jehovahs Witnesses.
The man had stressed that he would never shoot at women and children, of whom many were present at the congregation. The psychiatrist said the man showed no sign of dementia.
Outside the courtroom, prosecution lawyer Klaus Metzler said the man had told a "fanciful story." Metzler said he thought the true motive was revenge, after the pensioner's daughter had joined the Jehovahs Witnesses and become estranged.
Two Jehovahs Witnesses present during the alleged attack said the pensioner was openly wielding the gun, which was equipped with a muffler.
Both said that they had been terrified, and said that many community members still suffered nightmares.
Police weapons experts said the gun had been fully functional.
The trial is to continue on February 24.