1 person arrested in Germany on suspicion of arson in building where 4 people of Turkish origin lost their lives

It has been reported that Daniel S., a German citizen suspected of arson in a fire that occurred on March 25 in Solingen, Germany, which resulted in the deaths of 4 people—including 2 infants—who were Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin, has been arrested.

At a press conference held at the Wuppertal Police Department, details were shared with the public regarding the arson incident, in which 4 members of the same family lost their lives and 9 others were injured, 2 of them seriously.

Wuppertal Prosecutor Heribert Kaune-Gebhardt stated in his announcement that the 39-year-old suspect had injured another person in a separate incident on Monday, April 8.

Prosecutor Kaune-Gebhardt announced that it was understood that the individual in question was also the suspect in the arson incident that resulted in the deaths of 4 people.

Kaune-Gebhardt said that the suspect, Daniel S., had previously lived in the building that was set on fire and was evicted in the spring of 2022 for failing to pay rent.

Explaining that the individual was being investigated on the grounds that he might have set fire to the building for revenge, Kaune-Gebhardt noted that the suspect was taken into custody after seriously injuring his 44-year-old friend in a fight on Monday, adding that the suspect had struck his friend in the head with a sharp object.

Kaune-Gebhardt stated that this incident had no connection to the arson attack that occurred two weeks prior.

Noting that the suspect is also being investigated for drug-related and other crimes, Kaune-Gebhardt pointed out that they currently have no evidence "indicating a xenophobic motive" regarding the arson incident.

Kaune-Gebhardt stated that all details of the incident would emerge following the investigation and interrogations.

THE INCIDENT

According to the expert report, it was stated that the fire that occurred on the night of March 24 to March 25 in the 4-story building on Grünewalder Street started in the stairwell of the old building and spread to the roof within 5 minutes due to the "chimney effect."

It was noted that some residues were found in the wooden stairwell, and based on this evidence, it was concluded that the fire was caused by arson.

In a statement made by the Wuppertal Public Prosecutor's Office, it was previously stated that they had no evidence "indicating a xenophobic motive" regarding the incident.

SOLINGEN TRAGEDY

On the other hand, in the same city on May 29, 1993, the home of the Genç family on Untere Werner Street was set on fire, and Gürsün İnce (28), Hatice Genç (19), Gülüstan Öztürk (12), Hülya (9), and Saime Genç (5) lost their lives in the attack.

The perpetrators who were caught, Markus Gartmann, Felix Köhnen, Christian Reher, and Christian Buchholz, were released after serving their prison sentences.

The attackers, whose identities were changed and kept secret, continue to live in Germany.

News Source: AA