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BERLIN () -- Self-confessed extortionist "Dagobert," who became a German folk hero with his Disney cartoon-inspired name and escapades that kept police chasing him for two years, went on trial in Berlin on Tuesday.
"Dagobert" made about 30 vain attempts to extract ransom money from Germany's largest retail chain, Karstadt, after placing homemade bombs in at least five of its stores.
The extortionist, whose real name is Arno Funke, borrowed his nickname from the Disney character Scrooge McDuck, known in German as Dagobert.
"I was at the end of my tether and wanted to commit suicide, so I thought of blackmailing a department store to change my life," Funke, 44, an unemployed sign painter from Berlin, told the court.
Disney Hero on Trial
18 January 1995
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