Marl, Germany
A German politician under investigation for fraud killed himself last week by unbuckling his parachute during a sky dive, just hours after police raided his home and office. Jürgen Möllemann, 57, former deputy leader of Germany’s centrist Free Democrats, was suspected of having solicited illegal funds for an election campaign last year. Even before the scandal broke, he had been kicked out of the party because of anti-Semitic statements, which party leaders felt had cost the Free Democrats a good chunk of support. Möllemann said that Germany’s few remaining Jews were bringing anti-Semitism on themselves by being so “intolerant and hateful.” Möllemann was an experienced sky diver, and witnesses said he deliberately shucked his chute.
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