Article: Dagobert, Germany's cult criminal, goes in the dock

Theoretically, he is a criminal who could be jailed for 15 years. But few in Germany see things quite like that. Instead, the man in the dock is widely regarded as a folk hero.

"Of course, it's bad, what he did," said one Berliner this week. "But it's impressive, too, isn't it?" The man known to millions as Dagobert - the Uncle Scrooge character in Donald Duck cartoons - is still admired, not least for his criminal cheek. Arno Funke appeared in court in Berlin yesterday, charged with blackmail and attempted arson. He is accused of responsibility for six explosions in department stores.

But it is not the explosions Germans remember but his ability to make the police look spectacularly ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!