German with Hitler ringtone faces jail term

Berlin: A German man who had a speech by Adolf Hitler as his ringtone and a picture of the Nazi dictator in front of a swastika on his mobile phone could face up to three years in jail, police said today.

Authorities seized the 54-year-old`s phone at Harburg station on Tuesday, near the northern city of Hamburg, after fellow train passengers shocked by the sound of Hitler screaming alerted police. "It was an original speech by Adolf Hitler which ended with the phrase `Sieg Heil`," police spokesman Ruediger Carstens told AFP, adding: "He also had a photo of Hitler standing in front of a swastika." Police have handed the case over to prosecutors. Under German law, the man could face up to three years in prison or a fine, the police spokesman added. The public display of Nazi symbols like the swastika have been banned in Germany since the end of World War II. PTI