Trial Alleged Solothurn arsonist talks about himself

The accused 35-year-old Swiss national testified for the first time on Monday morning in the trial for the fires in Wasseramt, Solothurn. It was initially about him personally. He was not yet questioned about the specific accusations of having set twelve fires.

The 35-year-old appeared before the district court like an unremarkable businessman, with glasses, short-cropped hair and a beard. According to the indictment, he denies the twelve arsons he is accused of. Apparently, the accused had an alcohol problem.

He said in court about the series of fires and the fire department operations: "It was very stressful. When will it start again? You had to expect it to continue." As part of the investigations by the judicial authorities, he visited the scenes of the arsons before the trial. "The memories became more present again."

Since his arrest in May 2022, he has no longer been the equipment supervisor at his fire department. He had been dispensed with, he said. "It was clear to me that I was a firefighter," he said about his former motivation. Before the series of fires, he was not doing so well, he said in the interrogation. He was heartbroken.

Great public interest

The public prosecutor charged the Swiss man with multiple counts of arson. He is alleged to have set a total of twelve fires in the rural Wasseramt region south of the city of Solothurn in spring 2022. According to the indictment, the damage to buildings and furniture amounted to around 5.7 million francs.

The district court is hearing the case in the courtroom of the high court: almost 40 private individuals are following the trial.

SDA