Man remanded in custody over racist arson attack in Germany

By Mesut Zeyre

COLOGNE, Germany (AA) – A 52-year-old German national was remanded in custody on Monday over an arson attack, targeting a building housing people of Turkish descent in southwest Germany.

According to a statement from the public prosecutor’s office, the suspect was immediately caught after the arson attack on June 4 in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg of Pforzheim city and released after questioning.

Later, the suspect was detained again and brought before a judge.

The 52-year-old suspect, who was previously sentenced for a racist crime, was remanded in custody on the grounds that he deliberately set the building on fire.

Police said the fire caused great material damage to the 5-storey building with 10 apartments. Two of the apartments became unusable.

A person wearing a white protective suit was caught after the incident, the police added.

German police recorded nearly 24,000 crimes by right-wing extremists in 2020, including verbal and physical assaults, threatening letters, and arson attacks.

Far-right terror in Germany claimed the lives of nearly 210 innocent people since 1989, according to Amadeu Antonio Foundation, a human rights group.

*Wriitng by Seda Sevencan from Istanbul