A 41-year-old Syrian national wounded 31 people, including two children who were left in critical condition, in arson attacks on Saturday in the German city of Essen, according to police and media reports from Sunday morning.At around 5:10 p.m. on Saturday, the man set fire to a residential building on Altenessener Strasse, at the corner of Pielsticker Strasse, according to Bild. He later drove a few streets over, where he set fire to a second residence.The fire service said that 31 people were wounded in the arson attacks, while Essen police placed the number at 30.
Tagesschau reported that people threw children from windows onto cushions on the street to escape the flames.After setting off the fires, the man reportedly drove to Katernberger Strasse, where he rammed his car into a store before reversing and ramming into the building again.
The driver then continued to another shop on Katernberger Strasse, where he pulled out a machete and began threatening people. Nearby civilians, who threw objects in an attempt to distance the assailant, captured this component of the attack on video.Sources told Bild that they arrested the man, who had burns on his hands, a few meters from the store. Tagesschau reported that he was known to the police before the incident.“The crime police have taken over the investigation and are examining the connections between the incidents. The specific motives of the arrested man are also the subject of the investigation,” Essen police published in a statement.
BREAKING NIUS: Eine Machete, ein Kampfmesser und palästinensisch-islamistische Kampfbekleidung. Was in Essen geschehen ist, ist ein Terroranschlag von einem polizeibekannten Syrer. Alle Details hier:https://t.co/u6VQWXla3e https://t.co/rklFOghwBl pic.twitter.com/VWsvsDz33E
— Julian Reichelt (@jreichelt) September 29, 2024
Videos screenshotted by multiple German media outlets appeared to show the man wearing a Palestinian flag and Keffiyeh-patterned headband.
Germany sees uptick in attacks
Recently, Germany arrested a Syrian national for planning a machete attack on soldiers. The accused obtained two machetes, each approximately 40 cm (15.75 inches) long. He planned to attack Bundeswehr soldiers in Hof who were spending their lunch break there and kill as many of them as possible, according to a prosecutor’s statement.In August, an ISIS-affiliated Syrian asylum seeker killed three people and wounded eight in a knife attack on Germany's Solingen.