Man who threw liquid on fire at police and firefighters left 33 injured, five at risk of death. Two bodies were found at the scene. The aggressor is a pandemic denialist and is part of a community of “preppers”. Authorities investigating the causes of the explosion in an apartment building in western Germany said this Friday (12/05) that police officers and firefighters who were injured when they arrived at the scene were attacked with a flammable liquid.
Investigators said the suspect, a 57-year-old man arrested on Thursday, intentionally threw the substance at police and firefighters who were responding to a call for help to potentially at-risk people.
The liquid used in the attack appears to have been gasoline, possibly mixed with another substance. The assailant would have set fire to a container with the liquid, before throwing it at the emergency services agents who were at the entrance to his apartment.
Reports are of an explosion that occurred shortly after police and firefighters opened the door to the apartment in the town of Ratingen, near Düsseldorf.
Local police said five people were life-threatening, four firefighters were seriously injured and 22 people were slightly injured. In total, five people were placed in an artificial coma, some of them with severe burns.
What is known about the incident
This Thursday morning, the local residents’ association informed the police that the mailbox of a resident of an apartment in the building was full, which raised fears regarding the well-being of the woman.
The police called the fire department to break down the door of the residence. When the agents entered, a man would have carried out the attack that resulted in the explosion. The authorities believe that the aggressor would be the son of the resident of the apartment.
Dozens of ambulances, police vehicles and fire trucks were sent to the scene. Snipers were placed on rooftops of nearby buildings as a security measure.
The police found the corpse of an elderly woman in the apartment, who apparently had been dead for several weeks. Investigators are investigating whether she was the mother of the aggressor.
Local broadcasters ZDF and WDR reported on Friday that a second body was found in the apartment. This person would have died during the police operation, for not having received the care he needed.
What is known about the suspect
The Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Friday that the suspect will face nine counts of attempted murder. He was already known to the police, but there was no record of acts of violence. He had been the target of an injunction due to a debt, but, according to a spokeswoman, it was “nothing relevant, nothing comparable” to what happened this Thursday.
Police said a number of weapons were found during the search of the apartment, including a gas-powered pistol and a number of knives and daggers.
The motivation for the attack remains unclear, but investigators believe that the suspect was part of a group of so-called “preppers”, which are communities of people who say they are prepared for future catastrophes or even an apocalypse. These groups are typically associated with far-right ideologies.
Police said they found a large amount of supplies stored in the apartment. Officials also said they had strong indications that he was a covid-19 pandemic denier.
rc (AFP, DPA)
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