A 41-year-old Syrian man was arrested on Saturday in Essen, Germany, on suspicion of driving a van into a storefront and setting two arson fires, injuring more than 30 people, including two young children.
The suspected immigrant attacker is scheduled to appear in court on Sunday on charges of aggravated arson and attempted murder.
The Syrian national is accused of driving his van into two stores and starting two fires, leaving two children in critical condition with smoke inhalation and injuring dozens more as exits were blocked. Broadcasting station NTV reported that. report.
Local residents tried to launch their own rescue operation, but the ladders were not tall enough to reach the windows of the torched building, forcing those inside to hang out of the windows to breathe. .
Firefighters, forced to fight two fires at the same time, were fortunate to be able to save everyone inside before anyone was killed. About 160 emergency personnel were involved in the rescue operation, which took about an hour and a half.
After setting the fire and threatening to stab people with a long knife, the migrant reportedly was surrounded by several men with shovels and sticks, and was subdued and detained until police arrived. are.
Essen Mayor Thomas Kuven expressed his gratitude to the fire brigade, police and rescue workers, saying: “I would like to thank everyone for their moral courage and helping us calmly deal with the alleged perpetrators.'' said.
Authorities quickly denied a terrorist motive behind the attack. Welts report Security officials say they believe the attack was instead caused by a family feud. local police said Initial investigations revealed that the man was furious that his wife had left him.
“The act was clearly targeted specifically at the family,” Mayor Kuven said.
According to the German newspaper, 12 people were injured in the first fire, and a further 19 people were injured in the second fire, all of them due to smoke inhalation.
Welts reported that two children suffered life-threatening injuries from the smoke, which is particularly dangerous for developing lungs. The two children are believed to be 2 and 4 years old. A total of eight children were hospitalized as a result of the fire.
The alleged attack comes amid a broader debate on immigration in Germany, with the government imposing emergency border controls following deadly terrorist attacks by migrants in Mannheim and Solingen earlier this year, and and is about to embark on deportation to Syria.
