Ulm - Arson attack on synagogue: confession to psychiatrist
The alleged perpetrator of the arson attack on the synagogue in Ulm remains silent in court. However, he had made a statement to the psychiatrist. The 47-year-old defendant stated that he wanted to draw attention to the suffering of the Palestinians in the conflict with Israel with the act, said the expert witness on Thursday, the first day of the trial. He had particularly had the suffering of the children in mind. The man had explained that he wanted to set an example. "If the others don't do anything, I'll do something myself," the accused is said to have said according to the expert witness.
The Turkish man has to answer to the regional court for attempted aggravated arson and criminal damage to property. The public prosecutor said that the accused had spilled one and a half to two liters of petrol on the southern wall of the building over several meters in June 2021 for allegedly anti-Semitic motives and then set fire to it with a lighter. The aim was for the fire to engulf significant parts of the synagogue.
The flames briefly reached a height of up to two meters. They largely died out on their own. Passers-by informed the fire department. A police officer was able to finally extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher. There were no people in the building at the time. Four burn marks appeared on the façade and soot contaminated the "Israel window" of the synagogue, the public prosecutor added. The damage amounted to several thousand euros.
The man's lawyer said that the charges were far too high. The 47-year-old was a "misguided idealist". He had acted without any political aspirations. Only the wall and a window had been sooted. "That was all. The action was unsuitable to destroy a building." The accusation of attempted aggravated arson is absurd.
The crime was witnessed by eyewitnesses. An elderly gentleman, who was sitting in his car during the alleged arson attack, wondered about the wet stains on the wall of the building. At first, he thought it was the work of wild peckers. Only later did he see the flames. Another senior citizen reported that the fire went out by itself. The incident occurred on a Saturday shortly after 8.00 am. According to the witnesses, the alleged perpetrator quickly left after setting the fire. According to the psychiatrist, he then drove back to his apartment, thinking he would soon be arrested by the police.
The man was publicly searched for with pictures after the crime. According to the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office, he had initially fled to his home country.
The man had not wanted to leave Germany, the expert witness said in court. His girlfriend had urged him to do so. She had also arranged the flight ticket for Turkey on the internet.
Because the country, like Germany, does not extradite its own citizens, the investigators' legal means of prosecution were initially exhausted. However, when the suspect re-entered Germany via Stuttgart Airport at the beginning of July 2023, he was arrested. He has been in custody ever since. According to investigators, he lived in Ulm before the crime.
Politicians had condemned the attack and announced better protection for Jewish institutions. Minister President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) condemned the attack as "despicable". The state parliament had passed a resolution against hatred of Jews and exclusion.
Four hearings have been scheduled for the trial, and a verdict could be reached at the end of January.
In the course of the war in the Gaza Strip, anti-Israeli demonstrations have also increased in Germany in recent weeks. Baden-Württemberg's anti-Semitism commissioner Michael Blume said: "Hamas is deliberately emotionalizing and polarizing the free world with its terror propaganda, appealing to deep-seated anti-Semitism." He was grateful that their calls for violence had so far failed in Baden-Württemberg, but advised continued vigilance and a clear stance against hatred and incitement.
Statement from the public prosecutor's office
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- Despite remaining silent in court, the alleged perpetrator made a confession to his psychiatrist about the arson attack on the synagogue in Ulm.
- The public prosecutor's office in Stuttgart is involved in the case of the Turkish man accused of attempting aggravated arson and criminal damage to property at the synagogue.
- Criminality escalated in Baden-Württemberg with the increase of anti-Israeli demonstrations due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
- The psychiatrist testified in court that the man had wanted to draw attention to the suffering of children in Palestine with his act, and had stated that if others didn't do anything, he would.
- The fire department was alerted by passers-by after the man spilled petrol on the synagogue's southern wall and set it on fire for allegedly anti-Semitic motives.
- The 47-year-old defendant is facing trial in Ulm, where politicians have announced better protection for Jewish institutions following the attack.
- The man had initially fled to his home country after the arson attack, but was later arrested back in Germany, where he lived before committing the crime.
Source: www.stern.de
