Just like the real Adolf Hitler, wannabe Führer Harald Zenz is an Austrian art school reject and a diehard aficionado of the Third Reich, officials said.
The 25-year-old had also taken acting lessons because “he wanted to learn to move like Adolf Hitler,” an acquaintance told local media, The Local reported.
Zenz, who sparked an uproar in an Austrian town for impersonating Hitler, was arrested Monday on charges of glorifying the Nazi era.
The dopey doppelganger — who claimed his name was Harald Hitler — amassed a trove of Third Reich materials in his home in Braunau am Inn, where Hitler was born, officials told The Local.
For the past two weeks, Zenz had been seen wandering around in military garb while sporting Hitler’s infamous moustache and side-parted hair. Photographs also showed him in traditional attire, including a loden jacket and lederhosen.
He was arrested under a 1947 Austrian law which made it illegal to promote Nazi ideology.
Police said Zenz, who had no previous criminal record, told them he planned to move to Munich in Germany and “get involved in politics” but had run out of money.
Alois Ebner of the public prosecutor’s office said Zenz — a “serious” fan of Hitler — could face a prison sentence of between one and 10 years.
He added that he appeared to be mentally sound of mind.
Braunau, a town of 17,000, has made recent headlines because of its historical ties to Hitler.
In December, the government expropriated the dilapidated building where Hitler was born — a move designed to stop the building from becoming a pilgrimage site for Nazi sympathizers.
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