Kohl Plastered With Pastry at Book Signing
Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl was hit in the face by a cream pastry during a book signing session Thursday. Police said they detained the suspected assailant.
A spokesman for the Dussmann bookstore in Berlin said Kohl, 70, was not injured and didn’t miss a beat.
“The chancellor reacted calmly, wiped the pastry remains from his face and kept on autographing,” store spokesman Thomas Greiner said. “He didn’t say a word.”
Kohl also took off his jacket, which was soiled, and washed his hands before continuing, according to witnesses.
The pastry hit Kohl as he was autographing copies of “My Diary 1998-2000,” in which he celebrates his role as the chancellor who united Germany and attacks those who have criticized him over a party financing scandal. Kohl governed Germany for 16 years until his defeat in 1998 elections.
Federal police, who provide security for Kohl, said they detained a suspect. A Berlin police spokeswoman said that the man’s identity was being checked and that his motive was unclear.
A year ago, Kohl admitted that he accepted about $1 million in illegal donations for his party while chancellor in the 1990s.
He has refused to name the donors, prompting Parliament to investigate whether his government sold political favors--a charge that Kohl denies.
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