Jens Söring doesn't have much to say immediately after his arrival. At least not to the public.
Several supporters accompany the 53-year-old to a short press conference in a sober conference room at Frankfurt Airport, other helpers are already waiting for him there. Some of them have been in contact with the man who has been detained in the United States for more than three decades for many years.
"I would never have been free without you"
"Finally", they shout and cheer when Söring enters the room shortly after 1 p.m. There is applause, hugs, congratulations. "Without you I would never have been released," Söring replies to his helpers. He had returned to Germany on a scheduled machine from Washington late Tuesday morning. It is the preliminary end of a very long story.
Soering smiles, but he looks tired. A good dozen television cameras and around 50 journalists are waiting for him. He is wearing a gray t-shirt under a dark winter jacket, light sweatpants and white running shoes. He speaks German with a slight American accent.
Söring says into the microphones that he is so happy that he came back to Germany after 33 years, 6 months and 25 days. His supporters stand behind him and shine during his statement. "This is the most beautiful day of my life," says Jens Söring.
Thorsten Wagner / REUTERS
"Thank you for your patience": Jens Soering in his press release
"Thank you for your patience"
He also thanks the press. And adds: "But my new life in freedom, I have to get to know it myself first. Please allow me a little rest to do that". He now had to arrive in Germany psychologically and emotionally. But later he will answer the many questions that have been put to him: "Thank you for your patience".
Then Jens Soering says a few more sentences in English, thanks also to his supporters in the USA and the police there who would have supported him during his detention. Soering does not answer any questions. After a few minutes, his helpers lead him out of the room and out of the airport. His whereabouts should at least remain secret for the time being.
Sentenced to twice life imprisonment
The Jens Soering case had attracted a lot of attention in the past. The German had been imprisoned for a double murder since 1986. The then 18-year-old initially admitted the crime, but later revoked his confession.
Carlos Santos / AP
More than three decades behind bars: Söring in the Brunswick correctional facility (2003)
Back then, Söring said that he wanted to save his girlfriend from the electric chair from capital punishment. As the son of a German diplomat, he mistakenly believed he had immunity and was deported to Germany. (Read more about it here.)
Throughout the years he spent at Buckingham Correctional Center, a Virginia state prison, he affirmed his innocence and sought freedom. He wrote books while in custody, contacted journalists, gave interviews and built up a circle of supporters. (Read an interview with a supporter here: "He dreams of not walking in circles for hours"). It is the people who are now receiving him at the airport.
The German lawyers made several requests for revision and arrest. However, all attempts, like his appeals, to get released on parole failed. Since 1990, 14 New York Times applications have been denied. At the end of November there was a surprising turnaround in the case of the 53-year-old.
In Frankfurt, his helpers declare that they now want to support the former prisoner in getting used to life in freedom. After all, Jens Soering has spent well over half of his life behind bars.
"I will spend time with my friends over the holidays. And then I will slowly decide where and how to build a new life. I hope you understand that I will withdraw first, that would be of great help to me "says Jens Söring into the cameras. He looks exhausted. And at the same time overjoyed. "Thanks again for this incredible greeting and Merry Christmas!"