A former German soldier has been sentenced to jail for plotting a far-right attack on senior politicians while posing as a Syrian refugee.
Franco Albrecht, 33, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for “planning a serious act of violence endangering the state” presiding judge Christoph Koller said.
The trial shone a spotlight on neo-Nazi sympathies in the ranks of the German military and the effectiveness of the security services in standing up to right-wing extremism, which is described by the interior ministry as the biggest threat facing the country.
The court heard Albrecht, a father of three, planned the attack while posing as a refugee. Prosecutors backed away from allegations that he hoped to pin his atrocity on Syrians.
Then-justice minister Heiko Maas and a former parliament vice-president, Claudia Roth, were considered to be among his possible targets, the court in Frankfurt heard.
Albrecht, who has a full beard and wears his long hair tied in a ponytail, told the court he deceived authorities at the height of the 2015-16 migrant influx, in which more than one million asylum seekers entered Germany.
Albrecht darkened his skin with make-up to pose as a penniless refugee Christian fruit seller from Damascus called David Benjamin, and for 15 months he hoodwinked immigration officials, despite speaking no Arabic.
“Neither Arabic nor details about my story were necessary,” Albrecht testified, describing his conversations with immigration authorities.
Albrecht, the son of a German mother and an estranged Italian immigrant father, was arrested in 2017 while trying to retrieve a Nazi-era pistol he had hidden in a toilet at Vienna's international airport, and his fraud was discovered when his fingerprints matched two separate identities.
The court found that Albrecht planned to use the pistol and other weapons and explosives he had taken from the German army for an attack.
Soon after his arrest, then defence minister Ursula von der Leyen said Albrecht's case pointed to a much larger “attitude problem” in the German military.
Her successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer ordered the partial dissolution of the KSK commando force in 2020 after revelations that some of its members harboured neo-Nazi sympathies.
Albrecht, who repeatedly expressed anti-Semitic, racist and hardline nationalist views before the court during his trial, testified that then-chancellor Angela Merkel had failed to uphold the constitution by welcoming the refugees.
His lawyers had called for a suspended sentence based solely on weapons law violations.
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
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The Saga Continues
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(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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