A German soldier is arrested trying to retrieve a loaded gun from an airport toilet.
His finger prints lead to a Syrian refugee.
His cell phone leads to far-right extremist networks inside the military.
This is the tale of Franco A: 1/10

Franco A was a lieutenant in the German army.
He posed as a Syrian refugee – and got away with it.
For 16 months he lived a double life.
Prosecutors say he planned a terror attack that would be blamed on his refugee alter ego and unleash a national crisis 2/10

Franco A’s arrest was a wake-up call for the German authorities long blind to far-right infiltration of their institutions.
His superiors promoted him even after he detailed his views in a master’s thesis.
He spoke publicly at least once at a far-right event 3/10

When Franco A goes on trial for plotting terrorism in the spring, Germany will go on trial with him. How could a German soldier who didn't speak Arabic pass himself off as a refugee? And how could a far-right extremist rise through the ranks of the German military? 4/10

But the story of Franco A is bigger than his own. His family history grafts almost perfectly over German history. The story of his double life and evolution is in many ways the tale of today’s two Germanys. 5/10