Man shoots at neighboring Turkish family in Germany, sets fire to their apartment

By Timur Kirez

BERLIN (AA) - In Germany's Heiligenhaus town of the North Rhine-Westphalia state, a 33-year-old man has attacked a neighboring Turkish family with an air rifle and then set fire to the Turkish family's apartment, according to the local daily Westfalischer Anzeiger.

The incident occurred on Friday and the suspect was brought before a magistrate on Saturday, who issued a warrant for his arrest, the public prosecutor's office and police said.

A homicide squad has been set up under the direction of the Dusseldorf police and the investigation is ongoing.

"The couple injured in the incident had to be taken to a hospital on Friday for inpatient treatment, seriously injured. There was no danger to life. The couple's baby had not been injured," investigators said.

Although the exact course of events and the motive are still unclear, the incident brings back memories of the 1993 murder attack in Solingen, also in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

At the time, five people were killed in the right-wing extremist-motivated arson attack against a house in Solingen inhabited by Turkish families. At least 17 people suffered injuries, some of which were permanent.