A German court has fined a man for sneaking into Chancellor Olaf Scholz's VIP motorcade in 2023 and hugging him as he was about to board a plane at Frankfurt Airport, German news agency dpa reports.
As dpa reported on Tuesday, the court sentenced the 50-year-old man to a fine of 4,500 euros and a suspension of his driving license for two and a half years for endangering traffic and illegally entering private property.
The name of the accused was not disclosed in accordance with German privacy laws.
The incident prompted an investigation into Chancellor Scholz's safety, although the Chancellor himself was not harmed.
The incident occurred as Mr Scholz was returning to Berlin after celebrating the 25th anniversary of the European Central Bank.
Chancellor Scholz's spokesman, Wolfgang Büchner, told reporters at the time that the German leader “did not feel threatened in any way.”
According to dpa, the defendant was under the influence of drugs and was found only partially guilty of committing the crime.
The man apologized in the courtroom.
Mr Scholz's time as chancellor is coming to an end.
The German parliament is set to meet on May 6 to elect Friedrich Merz as the country's new leader if all parties in his proposed government approve the coalition agreement reached last week.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
