German bomb plot case begins

THE alleged ringleader of a neo-Nazi plot to bomb a Munich synagogue went on trial on weapons and terrorism charges yesterday.

Martin Wiese, an unemployed 28-year-old, faces 15 years in prison if convicted of leading a terrorist organisation and other charges.

He is alleged to have been in charge of a Munich-based group of right-wing radicals that prosecutors said planned to bomb the dedication of the new synagogue and community centre that was attended by hundreds, including the German president and top Jewish leaders.

The ceremony took place on November 9, 2003, the anniversary of the Nazi’s 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom.