Overview

• On day 14 of the trial, Block answered questions from her ex-husband’s lawyer, denied commissioning or wanting the operation, and accused Stephan Hensel of lying.
• The judges again rejected defense efforts to exclude phone and IT material, and the proceeding is scheduled to resume on October 7.
• Block urged the court not to hear her teenage daughter in public, and a court-appointed child psychologist will conduct an anamnesis interview outside the main hearing.
• Under questioning, Block acknowledged once giving her son a light tap and grabbing him by the neck in the past, rejected characterizations of violence, and said she had phone contact with ex-BND chief August Hanning, who she said mentioned possible support from Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
• She discussed prior contacts with the Israeli security firm known as Cyber Cupula for a security review and said she cannot rule out having briefly spoken with the alleged operative Tal S. around January 1, 2024.