A 72-year-old man deliberately released dozens of Mediterranean field crickets inside Trier Cathedral, near the Chapel of the Holy Robe. The man reportedly entered the Cathedral with the intent to release the insects, and once he had done so, left quickly. The insects' caused a disturbance in the chapel and and caused it to be temporarily closed following the incident. The man was later apprehended by police who initiated criminal proceedings against him under suspicion of disturbing religious worship.
On 14 October, a witness saw the elderly man open a box and release approximately 50 insects inside the cathedral before fleeing the scene. The insects made what the report has called an "an unusual acoustic interlude," causing disturbance in the place of worship.
The Diocese of Trier stated the caretaker was called to remove the insects, and the chapel was temporarily closed for inspection.
Police apprehended and questioned the man, who still had in his possession an empty box labelled: "Mediterranean crickets".
Criminal proceedings were initiated by police against the 72-year-old on suspicion of disturbing religious worship in the German criminal code, which outlaws behaviour that "deliberately and grossly disrupts the worship or religious act of a church or other religious community existing in Germany" and "insulting mischief in a place dedicated to the worship of such a religious community".
Sources: tageblatt, kircheundleben
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