Ex-Nazi officer, 92, on trial

A 92-year-old former Nazi SS officer has gone on trial in Germany accused of murdering a Dutch resistance fighter in 1944. The trial is a landmark case in Germany as Siert Bruins is the last alleged Nazi criminal to be detained.

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92-year-old former Nazi officer on trial for murder

A 92-year-old former member of the Nazi Waffen SS has gone on trial in Germany accused of murdering a Dutch resistance fighter in 1944.

Dutch-born Siert Bruins, who is now a German citizen, is accused of killing Aldert Klaas Dijkema in the town of Appingedam in The Netherlands, near the German border.

Bruins faces a possible life sentence.

ITV News' special correspondent Rageh Omaar reports:

Ex-Nazi Waffen SS member, 92, on trial for murder

A 92-year-old former member of the Nazi Waffen SS has gone on trial in Germany accused of murdering a Dutch resistance fighter in 1944.

Dutch-born Siert Bruins, who is now a German citizen, entered the Hagen state court using a walking frame.

Siert Bruins, a suspected Nazi war criminal, in court today. Credit: REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

No pleas are made in the German system and Bruins offered no statement.

His lawyer, Klaus-Peter Kniffka, said after the 35-minute opening session that it was unlikely his client would ever address the court personally.

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Former SS officer to face murder charge 70 years on

A former SS officer is due to appear in court in Germany later today, where he stands accused of murdering a Dutch resistance fighter at least 70 years ago.

Siert Bruins, 92, could face a life sentence if found guilty of the murder of Aldert Klaas Dijkema in September 1944.

The trial is a landmark case in Germany as Bruins is the last alleged Nazi criminal to be detained.

Another former SS officer, Heinrich Boere, began a life sentence in December 2011 for murdering three Dutch civilians during World War II.

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