BERLIN (AP) – A German court on Friday found a man guilty of attempted arson in connection with a New Year’s Eve incident in which he broke a window at a synagogue in Bavaria and then tried to light fireworks and throw them into the building.
The Bamberg district court sentenced the 22-year-old man, who was also convicted of causing damage to property, to 2.5 years in prison, the German dpa agency reports. His name has not been released in accordance with German privacy rules.
The defendant admitted during his trial that he has far-right views. He accepted the charges, although he said he could not remember everything because he was drunk during the incident in the small town of Ermreuth. He said he regretted his actions and insisted he did not know what motivated him to do them.
Surveillance footage showed the man repeatedly and unsuccessfully trying to light a firework and throw it into the synagogue after breaking the window. No one was in the building at the time.
Prosecutors demanded a three-year prison sentence. The defense side requested a conditional imprisonment for a maximum period of two years.
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