Berlin, Jul. 22, (dpa/GNA) – A German court on Monday sentenced a Russian citizen to more than five years in prison for a 2022 attempted arson attack on a Russian news agency in Berlin.
The 56-year-old man was convicted of attempted murder and attempted arson resulting in loss of life by the Berlin regional court.
The court found the man guilty of setting fire to the basement of an apartment block in the neighbourhood of Steglitz, which was occupied by employees of Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti news agency.
The court said found that the man did not intend to kill, but that he had accepted possible fatal consequences for his actions.
However, the improvised explosive and incendiary device did not ignite for unexplained reasons. According to the indictment, it was only discovered days later in the cellar shaft and defused by local police specialists.
The Russian, who was arrested in mid-December 2022, denied the allegations and claimed to have been the victim of a conspiracy.
The man has lived in Germany for decades and made a name for himself in Berlin with protests against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the 11-month trial, he declared that he wanted to fight Russian President Vladimir Putin “only by legal means.”
In addition to the attempted arson attack, the 56-year-old was also convicted on Monday of computer fraud, damage to property and theft of electrical energy.
The judgement is not yet final and may be appealed.
GNA