German Lübcke trial: Far-right defendant faces killing verdict

A Frankfurt court is set to deliver a verdict in the trial of a far-right sympathiser accused of murdering prominent pro-migrant politician in his garden in 2019.

Walter Lübcke, a regional Christian Democrat governor, was shot in the head at close range.

Stephan Ernst, 47, has already admitted firing the shot.

A second man identified only as Markus H is accused of helping the gunman.

Both defendants have a far-right background and prosecutors maintain the motive for the murder was their political extremism.

Walter Lübcke was the first elected politician to be murdered in Germany for decades. If the court finds the motive was political, it would be the most prominent far-right political assassination in a democratic Germany since the 1920s.

Stephan Ernst's lawyer has argued that it was a political attack and should therefore be treated as manslaughter.

Prosecutors say he should be given life in jail. He is also accused of the attempted murder of an Iraqi refugee in a knife attack in January 2016. The victim was badly wounded.

Markus H has denied involvement and his lawyers say he should be acquitted of aiding and abetting the killer.