UPDATE - Turkish envoy in Germany’s Solingen after immigrant family killed in arson attack

UPDATES WITH VIGIL HELD FOR FAMILY KILLED IN ARSON

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Basar Sen visited the western German city of Solingen on Thursday, after an arson attack killed a Bulgarian-Turkish immigrant family, and injured more than a dozen people.

“The investigations have to go in all directions, the motive behind this must be revealed in all its details, and the perpetrators should be punished with the harshest penalties,” he told reporters, after meeting with the relatives of the victims.

Monday’s fire at the four-story house in Solingen claimed the lives of a young couple and their two children, who were Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin.

As many as 21 people were rescued from the building, with nine taken to the hospital with serious injuries, including two in critical condition. Turkish nationals were among those injured.

Sen said prosecutors have confirmed that the cause of the fire was an arson, as investigators have found remains of an accelerant in the wooden stairwell of the house.

“It is not yet clear whether this arson was a simple crime, a crime arising from hostility, or whether it was a far-right attack motivated by racism, unfortunately, similar to the incident that took place in Solingen 31 years ago,” he said.

The ambassador said he was confident that the German authorities would carry out a thorough investigation and shed light on this crime, and promised that the Turkish authorities would closely follow the developments on this matter.

He also expressed hope that the perpetrators will be swiftly identified and brought to justice.

On Thursday evening, dozens of people gathered for a vigil in front of the burned house in Solingen to remember and pray for the victims. They placed flowers and candles on the sidewalk.

Kamil Genc, who lost his family members in the 1993 Solingen arson attack, also attended the vigil, and called on the authorities to carry out a full investigation and bring those responsible to justice.

“When I saw this building on Monday, I felt the same pain as I had years ago when our house was burned down,” he told Anadolu.

“What happened that night, the screams I heard, the struggle of the firefighters, all these memories came before my eyes again,” he said.

- 1993 Solingen arson attack

Three decades ago, a far-right arson attack took place in Solingen, killing five members of a Turkish immigrant family, in one of the most severe instances of racist violence in modern Germany.

Their house was set ablaze by neo-Nazis amid growing resentment against immigrants and foreigners in the country, after the unification of East and West Germany.

Three girls, Saime Genc, Hulya Genc and Gulustan Ozturk, and two women, Hatice Genc and Gursun Ince, were killed in the fire, while 14 others, including several children, got wounded.

Police arrested four right-wing extremists after the arson attack, and the assailants were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. They were released after serving their prison sentences.