31 people injured Suspect allegedly set fire in Essen due to separation from wife
31 people are injured by two arsons in Essen. The suspect is a man who may not have got over his separation from his wife.
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- The police in Essen in North Rhine-Westphalia are continuing their investigation into the arson attacks on Saturday.
- According to the fire department, 31 people were injured, including two small children with life-threatening injuries.
- A 41-year-old man is alleged to have started the fires in two apartment buildings in the north of the Ruhr city.
- He has been in custody since Sunday on charges of serious arson and attempted murder.
- According to the information currently available to the police, he wanted to use the fires to kill people living in the house and to support his ex-wife.
The police in Essen are continuing their investigation into the arson attacks on Saturday. According to the fire department, 31 people were injured, including two small children with life-threatening injuries. Their medical condition remains serious, said a police spokeswoman. The children had inhaled smoke from the fire, which had damaged their lungs.
A 41-year-old man is said to have started the fires in two apartment buildings in the north of the Ruhr city. He has been in custody since Sunday on charges of aggravated arson and attempted murder. As far as the police currently know, he wanted to use the fires to kill people who live in the house and support his ex-wife. The man may not have been able to cope with his separation from her, according to NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU).
According to police reports, after the man had set the fires, he drove a van into two grocery stores. He then disappeared into one of the stores with a machete, as a video shows. A short time later, the man was held at bay by several people in a backyard until the police arrived. Both Reul and the mayor of Essen, Thomas Kufen (CDU), praised the courageous behavior of these people as well as the neighbors who rescued residents from the burning building before the fire department arrived.
Suspect is known to police
The 41-year-old, who is a Syrian citizen, is already known to the police for threats and damage to property. Christina Kampmann, domestic policy spokesperson for the opposition SPD parliamentary group in the NRW state parliament, called for a detailed investigation into the background. "Who exactly are we talking about? Was the suspect on their radar or even in their sights?" All of this must now be clarified quickly in order to be able to draw the necessary conclusions from this terrible case.
dpa