The News
Wednesday 24 of April 2024

Reports: German man retracts confession in official's death


AP Photo,FILE - In this June 25, 2012 file photo, Walter Luebcke, who was in charge of the Kassel area regional administration, talks to media in Kassel, Germany. Germany's top security official says the far-right extremist suspected in the killing of a politician from Chancellor Angela Merkel's party has told authorities that he acted alone. Walter Luebcke, who led the Kassel regional administration in central Germany, was fatally shot in the head at his home on June 2, 2019. (Uwe Zucch/dpa via AP)
AP Photo,FILE - In this June 25, 2012 file photo, Walter Luebcke, who was in charge of the Kassel area regional administration, talks to media in Kassel, Germany. Germany's top security official says the far-right extremist suspected in the killing of a politician from Chancellor Angela Merkel's party has told authorities that he acted alone. Walter Luebcke, who led the Kassel regional administration in central Germany, was fatally shot in the head at his home on June 2, 2019. (Uwe Zucch/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP) — A far-right extremist arrested over the killing of a regional official from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party has reportedly retracted his confession to the killing.

Walter Luebcke, who led the Kassel regional administration in central Germany, was shot dead at his home on June 2. A 45-year-old German man with a string of convictions for violent anti-migrant crimes, Stephan Ernst, was later arrested as the alleged killer.

Officials said last week that Ernst had admitted to carrying out the killing and claimed he acted alone. But lawyer Frank Hannig told daily Bild on Tuesday that “my client retracted his confession today. I won’t say more at the moment.”

News agency dpa also reported, without citing sources, that the suspect had retracted his confession.