Brandstiftung: Brandanschlag auf Synagoge: Untersuchungshaft angeordnet

A suspect has been placed in custody following the arson attack on the Wuppertal Synagogue. The accused has made clear anti-Semitic remarks, stated a spokesperson for the Wuppertal Public Prosecutor's Office. However, no hints of an Islamist background for the attack have been discovered so far. A judge has issued an arrest warrant for the man for attempted arson.

The 37-year-old Afghan is accused of throwing two bottles of liquid at the synagogue and pouring a third onto a side door, igniting the flammable substance. He was apprehended close to the crime scene by security forces. The suspect's apartment was searched on Thursday, where a mobile phone was found, with its contents still being analyzed.

Several knives and a machete were also discovered, apparently ready for immediate use. The suspect also has a prior conviction for threatening a neighbor, said Public Prosecutor Wolf-Tilman Baumert. The fire was set on a staircase at a side entrance of the Bergische Synagogue in Wuppertal. No one was harmed, and the damage was minimal, the police reported.

The police are searching for two young women witnesses who were reportedly in close proximity to the synagogue at the time of the incident. The attack took place around 2:00 PM on Thursday. The Central Council of Jews in Germany condemned the arson attack. "Once again, an attack on a synagogue has occurred during the high Jewish holidays," said Central Council President Josef Schuster.

The North Rhine-Westphalia Association of Jewish Communities expressed shock at the assault, noting that setting the building ablaze during daylight hours, even in view of security cameras, highlights that Jews in Germany are not safe. The repeated attack on a synagogue just days before Yom Kippur also evokes memories of the deadly 2019 Hall incident.

Surveillance footage clearly showed the attacker aimed to cause maximum damage and accept human casualties. "This is disturbing and must finally result in tangible consequences," the community stated. Wuppertal's mayor Miriam Scherff (SPD) condemned the act as "very despicable" and called for solidarity with the Jewish community.

The Bergische Synagogue opened in 2002. The Jewish community of Wuppertal numbers around 2,000 members. An arson attack on the synagogue had already occurred in 2014, for which three Palestinians were responsible. They admitted to the crime and stated their intention to draw attention to the Gaza conflict. They received probationary sentences.