Prosecutors seek life sentence in WWII killing

BERLIN — German prosecutors are seeking a life prison sentence for a 92-year-old former Waffen SS member charged with killing a Dutch resistance fighter in 1944. Dutch-born Siert Bruins, now a German citizen, went on trial in September in the western city of Hagen. He is accused of killing resistance fighter Aldert Klaas Dijkema in September 1944 in Appingedam, near the German border in the northern Netherlands. In closing arguments Thursday, prosecutor Andreas Brendel called for a life sentence, news agency dpa reported. He argued that although the killing was ordered by a superior it would have been possible for Bruins to disobey. Bruins’ lawyer has said his client admits being at the scene, but says another now-deceased SS man pulled the trigger. Closing arguments from the defense are expected Jan. 6.