Niemand verletzt: 37-Jähriger soll Feuer an Wuppertaler Synagoge gelegt haben

On an early afternoon, a fire was set on a staircase leading to the entrance of the Bergische Synagogue in Wuppertal. Police spokesperson reported that the blaze was extinguished swiftly by synagogue employees, with no injuries reported and minor property damage. The investigation was handed over to the State Protection Department.

The alleged perpetrator, a 37-year-old Afghan national, was known to the police and acted alone. He allegedly scattered and ignited a flammable liquid on the staircase steps at 2 PM. The nature of the liquid remained unspecified at the time of reporting. The Bergische Synagogue, opened in 2002, is home to around 2,000 members of the Jewish Cultural Community of Wuppertal, as per the Central Council of Jews.

In a statement, Central Council President Josef Schuster referred to the incident as a "fire attack" and noted that it occurred during Jewish high holidays. Schuster emphasized that the perpetrator showed no signs of remorse or shame, indicating a growing normalization of anti-Semitism in society. The timing of the attack was not coincidental, drawing parallels to previous incidents in Sydney, Manchester, and Halle.

In 2014, a fire attack had already been carried out on the synagogue. Schuster lamented the pattern of antisemitic violence, citing the selection of holidays to instill fear and push Jewish life out of public view. The Orthodox Rabbinical Conference of Germany declared that attacking Jewish life is an attack on democracy, and Jews in Germany must be able to live and practice their faith without fear.

The 2014 perpetrators received probation sentences for attempted arson, having admitted to throwing flammable substances at the synagogue.