Process - Arson attack in Bochum: Appeal lodged against verdict
The arson attack on a school in Bochum, which was allegedly aimed at the neighboring synagogue, will be dealt with by the Federal Court of Justice. A 36-year-old man was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison last week. His defense lawyer has since lodged an appeal, a spokeswoman for the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court said on Thursday in response to an inquiry. The lawyer had applied for a six-month suspended sentence for damage to property.
The findings of the Higher Regional Court had strained relations between Germany and Iran. The court was convinced that Iranian authorities were behind the arson attack, as the presiding judge explained in his ruling. The convicted German-Iranian had been found guilty by the Higher Regional Court of conspiracy to commit aggravated arson and attempted arson.
In the grounds for the verdict, the court also assumed that the arson attack and the shots fired at the rabbi's house in Essen were connected and that it had been a coordinated action to stir up insecurity in Germany. The accused had confessed to having thrown an incendiary device at the school building. The synagogue had not been his target, he had claimed.
The 36-year-old shared the anti-Israeli stance of the Iranian regime. According to the court, he had only thrown the incendiary device at the neighboring school because he thought the synagogue was too well secured. The attack on November 17 last year caused minor damage to the school building.
Following the verdict, the Foreign Office summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Iranian embassy. "We will not tolerate any foreign-controlled violence in Germany," the Foreign Office said in a statement. According to the state news agency Irna, Iran summoned the German ambassador a day later. The Islamic Republic had protested against the accusation that the man had acted on behalf of Iranian state agencies, it said.
Report at Irna, Persian
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- The arson attack in Bochum, aimed at the neighboring synagogue, will be further examined by the Federal Court of Justice in Düsseldorf, as a legal remedy for the defendant's appeal against the sentence.
- The alleged involvement of Iranian authorities in the arson attack has resulted in conflicts between German diplomacy and Iran, causing tension between the two nations.
- The damages to the school building in Bochum are part of the ongoing legal processes, with the Federal Court of Justice in North Rhine-Westphalia set to decide on the appeal.
- The arson attack was seen as an act of criminality, with the perpetrator being found guilty of conspiracy to commit aggravated arson and attempted arson by the higher regional court.
- The Federal Court of Justice will consider whether the legal remedies available will suffice to address the damage to property and hold the perpetrator accountable for his actions.
- The attempt to incite terrorism and insecurity in Germany through the arson attack on the synagogue and the shots fired at the rabbi's house in Essen will be scrutinized by the Federal Court of Justice in light of damaging relations with Iran.
- The appeals process for the verdict against the 36-year-old man associated with Iran's anti-Israel stance will be closely watched as a testament to Germany's commitment to justice and security.
Source: www.stern.de
