Man held for German 'cannibal killing'

The victim reportedly responded to an internet advert

A man has confessed to murdering and eating another man who allegedly volunteered to be killed, in a case that has shocked Germany.

He was a normal person, to speak to him, drink a glass of beer with him - just like you and me

Neighbour Joerg Paulusen

The 41-year-old - who was remanded in custody on Wednesday - videotaped the murder, prosecutors said.

The victim, also in his 40s, was chopped into pieces at the killer's home in the central German town of Rotenburg, near Kassel.

Prosecutors in Kassel said the accused and the victim were apparently homosexuals who shared cannibalistic tendencies.

The German daily Bild reports that the victim, from Berlin, had seen an advertisement on the internet which said: "Seeking young, well-built men aged 18 to 30 to slaughter."

The victim, a computer engineer, then sold all his possessions including a car before disappearing, the paper reports.

The state prosecutor's office in Kassel said the man died from deep cuts to the neck. The killer then chopped up the body and kept the parts in his fridge.

Police believe the murder occurred in spring 2000.

They found deep-frozen human flesh, skeleton parts and video recordings at the scene.

Neighbour Joerg Paulusen, speaking to Reuters TV, said of the killer: "It was sort of clear to us that he had a different perspective on life than we did, but he was a normal person, to speak to him, drink a glass of beer with him - just like you and me."

The last alleged case of cannibalism in Germany was when a 33-year-old man on trial for robbery and murder in March 1995 claimed to have eaten his victim's innards, although his claim was never proven, the AFP news agency reports.