Franco A. visited the workplaces of two of his alleged targets. We meet both targets to hear the stories of two Germanies: One a beacon of liberal democracy that has worked to overcome its Nazi past, the other a place where that past is attracting new recruits. Today, we explore how Germany's history is informing the fight for the country’s future.
You mentioned Franco R.
Yes, Franco R.
I was informed by the federal criminal police office they had found a diary of Franco R.
Franco R.
A former Bundeswehr officer.
And there was a list of names, including the foreign minister, some intellectuals, some human rights activists, and my name, Claudia Roth.
And this was so called enemy list to be killed, enemies to be killed.
Really?
He is a soldier in the Bundeswehr, and he posed as a Syrian.
He posed as a Syrian to make refugees responsible.
So this was the idea.
They would kill people, enemies, but then they would blame refugees to be the perpetrators.
The case against Franco A is remarkable for many reasons.
Not only that, as far as anyone ive talked to can remember, hes the first active duty soldier to stand trial for plotting terrorism since World War two.
Or that his arrest opened the door to a countrywide network of people planning for day X.
Or even that he had lived a double life as a syrian refugee.
What's most remarkable is that the german authorities had been utterly blind to him.
It took a maintenance man stumbling upon a gun in an airport bathroom to uncover it all.
It was just chance.
Back when I first started reporting on this case, I called one of Franco as lawyers to ask if Franco would talk.