A German Army officer used shoe shine and makeup to pose as a refugee in 2017. The ruse, prosecutors say, was part of a far-right plot. The officer says he was trying to expose flaws in the asylum system. His case mirrors the story of Germany itself. nyti.ms/2WUV57y
The arrest of the officer, Franco A., as he is rendered in court documents, in April 2017 stunned Germany. Since then his case has mostly slipped off the radar but that is likely to change when he goes to trial early next year. nyti.ms/2WUV57y 
When he does, Germany will go on trial with him — not only for the administrative failure that allowed an officer who did not speak Arabic to pass off as a refugee for so long, but also for its longstanding complacency in fighting far-right extremism. nyti.ms/2WUV57y
The case spawned an investigation that led German authorities into a labyrinth of extremist networks at all levels of the nation’s security services — a threat that, they acknowledged only this year, was far more extensive than they’d ever imagined. nyti.ms/2WUV57y
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