Gelsenkirchen, Germany - A man who shouted Heil Hitler and
beat up a US national in a McDonald's for speaking English
surrendered Friday to German police.
The suspect, who was remanded in custody, faces charges of assault
and using neo-Nazi gestures.
The victim, 54, has required two operations for injuries to his
leg after he was head butted to the ground and savagely kicked inside
the restaurant last Saturday.
Police said the suspect, 31, phoned police and admitted the
offence after security camera images of the incident were published
in newspapers in the factory city of Gelsenkirchen, western Germany.
He did not offer any reason for the attack, saying only that he
had been drunk and lost his temper.
Police say he interrupted a conversation in English between the
victim and his female partner. The girlfriend explained that her
friend knew little German and the American asked, 'What's your
problem?'
The assailant, described as having short blonde hair, used an
expletive to call the victim an 'Englander,' said, 'This is Germany.
German must be spoken,' and assaulted him.
The restaurant, a franchise of a US company, was crowded at the
time.
The suspect has a record of assault and is currently on suspension
after a theft conviction, but has no record of neo-Nazi activity, the
police said.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
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