Bavarian teen probed for shooting at Thai king with toy gun
A Bavarian teen is being investigated for attempted grievous bodily harm after shooting at the Thai monarch with a toy gun as the king was cycling by. Another teen, who was also part of the play shooting, is a minor and cannot be prosecuted.
On June 10, two teenage boys, aged 13 and 14, fired plastic pellets at King Maha Vajiralongkorn as he was riding a bicycle with his staff in the Bavarian town of Erding, according to prosecuting authorities in Landshut.
The two boys shot at the king of Thailand again later in the day as he was driving past that same place.
However, according to the German media, the teens might have not known who exactly they were shooting at.
Since the younger boy hasn’t reached the minimum age of criminal responsibility of 14 years old, he can’t be held liable. The one was is under investigation, however.
Although the king didn’t press charges personally, his entourage filed a complaint.
"The king was not interested in taking any legal action against the boys… But in Germany, it is not up to the victim to decide [about the charges]," prosecution spokesman, Thomas Rauscher, told BBC.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn hasn’t been formally crowned yet, allowing the nation to grieve his deceased father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose cremation is expected in October this year.
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Having received education and military training in the UK, the US and Australia, the Thai monarch is still said to spend much time abroad. In 2016 the king purchased a villa near Lake Starnberg in the Bavarian village of Tutzing.
