German soldier who posed as refugee on trial for attack plot

The defendant is identified only as 1st Lt Franco A (AP/Michael Probst)

A German army officer who posed as a Syrian asylum-seeker has gone on trial accused of plotting to kill prominent politicians and blame the attack on refugees.

Federal prosecutors say the defendant, identified only as 1st Lieutenant Franco A due to German privacy rules, acted out of far-right extremist motives. The case has raised concerns about extremism in the country’s military.