But he came under pressure after a Bremen University law professor began reviewing his thesis with the aid of the internet.

BBC: Germany's Guttenberg 'deliberately' plagiarised

This latest embarrassment recalls one that threatened Mr McDonnell's candidacy for governor: his thesis as a law student in 1989 at a university founded by Pat Robertson, the television evangelist.

ECONOMIST: Abortion in Virginia

He came under pressure after a Bremen University law professor began reviewing his 2006 thesis with the aid of the internet.

BBC: German Defence Minister Guttenberg resigns over thesis